The West University Buzz - December 2018

Pamela Blakely

Memoir of a Romance

Handmade Decorations

by Jennifer Oakley

Chef’s Corner: Mark Schmidt Silence at Year’s End Christmas Décor Galore Travels with Grandkids Holiday Gift Guide Cookbooks to Give More Joy, Less Waste

Houston, TX

Seeing Lights

by Carriage

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Back Porch: Festive Cocktails

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE As 2018 draws to a close, I’d like to thank everyone – readers, advertisers, vendors and the Buzz team – for another great year. We could not do it without you. Our print deadlines come fast and furious every 30 days, plus digital deadlines every day. This year was another busy one for us. In print, we introduced Tracy Barnett’s eco-friendly series, “Going Green,” and welcomed back one of our first writers, Cindy Gabriel, after a 13-year hiatus. Online, you can find exclusive articles on neighbors, events and happenings. Be sure to sign up for our Morning Buzz e-newsletter (thebuzzmagazines.com/morning-buzz) and connect on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest) for all things “Buzzworthy.” This month, we focus on the holidays: traditions, decorations, recipes, festivals and more. Plus, check out our 2018 Holiday Gift Guide, full of local gift ideas. Have a happy New Year, and we’ll see you in 2019. michael@thebuzzmagazines.com

THE BUZZ MAGAZINES BELLAIRE • WEST UNIVERSITY • MEMORIAL • TANGLEWOOD/RIVER OAKS Published by Hoffman Marketing & Media, LLC 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401 info@thebuzzmagazines.com • p: 713.668.4157 • f: 713.665.2940 Follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter thebuzzmagazines.com Editor Publisher Associate Editors Design Manager Staff Writers

Contributing Writers Account Managers

Joni Hoffman Michael Hoffman Cheryl Laird Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld John Duboise Tracy L. Barnett Deborah Lynn Blumberg Sharon Albert Brier Andria Frankfort Angie Frederickson Todd Freed Cindy Gabriel Cathy Gordon Michelle Casas Groogan Dai Huynh Annie Blaylock McQueen Jennifer Oakley Cheryl Ursin Russell Weil Courtney Cook Andrea Blitzer Stephanie Goldfield Leslie Little Kim Montgomery

On our cover: Pamela Blakely’s Needlepoint Tree is decorated entirely with ornaments she has stitched herself.

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 © 2018 Hoffman Marketing & Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of this magazine by any means without written permission is strictly prohibited. Printed on recycled paper. Please remember to recycle.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 4

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 5

MAILBAG

Your letters, thoughts, opinions Living in the moment Just a quick note to tell you how much I enjoyed reading your article, “When I’m 64” [When I'm 64: Comfortable in my own skin, by Cindy Gabriel, November 2018]. I especially liked the part about “One of my jobs is to be happy.” I am recovering from a traumatic brain injury suffered in a serious car accident several years ago. I can’t walk or talk yet, yet being the operative word, but I work hard at my PT and speech therapy and I continue to improve, which is what’s important, right? Living in the moment is something I have to continually work on, but your words helped me a lot today.

Anonymous Buzz resident Editor’s note: While we don’t normally publish letters without names, we appreciate that this resident took the time to share their story with us and agreed to keep the writer’s name anonymous. We wish for a speedy recovery.

Liking the mature view of life What an eloquent statement reflecting a mature view of life in Cindy Gabriel’s “When I’m 64: Comfortable in my own skin!” Thank you for sharing your “Glass Half Full” perspective. We would all benefit from your current job description: “One of my jobs is to be happy.” I plan to share this widely.

Frankie Ann Holmes

Sweet memories from cookbook story I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed taking a stroll down memory lane and remembering back to the days of writing the original Junior League of Houston Cookbook [50 Years of Junior League Cookbooks: A history of Houston women, told through recipes, by Andria Frankfort, November 2018].

The article you wrote was outstanding! I have heard so many nice comments from friends who loved reading about the history of our Houston cookbooks. It was a beautiful article and reminded me of all the fun times we had and the joy it brought to us.

All of our friends and family love The Buzz Magazines. It is always fun to read such interesting stories about the people right in your neighborhood. My granddaughter [Hollan Hensley] was on the cover of a “Back to School” issue [Too Cool for School: Hot fashions for back to school, by Tracy Hatfield, August 2008], and one of my grandsons [Harrison Kane] was on the cover about “Riverbend Boys” [by Michelle Casas Groogan, June 2010], so needless to say we love the magazine!

Alafair Kane Editor’s note: Thank you, Alafair. We loved hearing that three members of the same family have appeared on separate covers over the years – we believe that’s a first for The Buzz.

Appreciated military-ball article The article in the November issue on the Military Ball [Pomp and Circum-dance: Fun for all at Galveston's military ball, by Cathy Gordon, WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 6

November 2018] was excellent. This annual function serves as an appreciation of all the young people, in our area, attending the military academies. These midshipmen and cadets are very dedicated and go unnoticed and represent a tangible part of the future of the United States. These young people offer up a great deal to attend these honored academies.

Minnette Carrabba

Inspired by new “Green” column I enjoyed [Tracy Barnett’s] articles in the October [2018] Buzz [Going Green: Composting: the ultimate recycling and In Dad’s World War I footsteps].

I like to think I live on a street in Bellaire that participates in a variety of activities to help save the planet. Most if not everyone recycles. Many of us have rescue animals. A few of us compost and have gardens. One neighbor germinated seeds from her daughter’s orange and grapefruit and planted the seeds, and now has two fruit-bearing trees in her yard. Several of us have fig trees and use the figs. One neighbor raises quail in her backyard and eats the eggs they produce. Several people on our street plant milkweed and other butterfly-friendly plants to help the monarch butterflies. There are many, many people interested in green living in Bellaire! Keep up the good work!

Jean McNamara 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.

What’s your story?

We are looking for residents for upcoming articles who: • Have a special love story.

• Traveled to a fascinating travel destination.

• Are passionate about being “green” and protecting the environment.

• Look just like mom or dad or a grandparent.

• Know a compelling neighbor to profile.

If this sounds like you or someone you know, please contact us at info@thebuzzmagazines.com or 713.668.4157, ext 12.

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NEIGHBORS

by Cindy Gabriel, staff writer

A Sacred Silence Memo to the world at year’s end

M

y favorite time is always that quiet week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. I tend to migrate to about five acres of cactus, deer and rocky soil that slope to a dry creek bed, which once was a spring that fed the Guadalupe River. Now it serves as a deer trail to the backyard of my maintenancedeprived house in Hunt, Texas.

It belonged to my dad and was worth less than he owed when he died. As the only child living in Texas, I accepted it as a peace offering in a contentious probate situation.

While it would have made the most sense to unload it quickly, I kept it, stripped it of routine expenses like cable TV, the Internet, telephone and, reluctantly, that nice guy who kept Dad’s deer feeder full of corn.

That leaves cell phones, running water and electricity. But, essentially, Hunt is a place to unplug. I’ll call it “Amish-lite.”

It took some getting used to, for sure. But in time, a sacredness emerged in the silence.

When I invite people there for the first time, I sense their hesitation. It’s like I’m inviting them into outer space, as if a house without cable or the Internet is not capable of sustaining human habitation.

But when it’s time to leave, they inevitably say: you know, I didn’t miss TV at all. “This place has a way of casting a spell on you,” someone said.

In my retirement fantasy, this is where I will write.

Speaking of fantasies, what if some person of no particular importance wrote a memo that ended up going viral.

Of course, the whole world wouldn’t instantly heed it because you need conflict to make it a good story. But a good chunk of us would, and that good chunk would have a decidedly positive impact on this tired old world. Maybe something like this: OK, everyone. Listen up. Let’s all agree that for one week, let’s say, between December 25 and January 1, we remove all unnatural noise. No TV, planes or cars. You can ride a bike if you’d like.

Talking is allowed, but less of it is encouraged, as listening increases in silence. Singing, violins, harps, flutes, chimes and any musical instrument that doesn’t have to be plugged in are encouraged. Electricity

ALL IS CALM Writer Cindy Gabriel contemplates the days after Christmas from her “maintenance-deprived house” in Hunt, Texas.

is allowed otherwise.

When it comes to music, the lack of amplification will encourage smaller, more intimate gatherings, perhaps of a circular nature.

Hospitals may stay open and emergency vehicles can operate. But sirens won’t be needed because there won’t be traffic.

This will be quite an adjustment for our overstimulated minds and body impulses. Some of us will immediately feel like climbing the walls, while others will have a wave of inner rebellion at times, then feel it subside as the body adjusts and detoxifies.

The other thing I would put on the back burner is the clock. It would be necessary to use since there may be more time to catch up with people and plan to meet some place in an hour.

But, I’d like us to do less scheduling and leave a little more room for spontaneity.

So how will this be covered by the news media? Well, freedom is freedom, so they will do what they wish. But hopefully their reports will remind us of moments when we actually did come together momentarily, such as the two weeks after September 11, when people of all religions sat in stunned silence to the words of Dr. Billy Graham, or when people from other

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 8

countries cried and trembled while wrapped in American flags. How quickly we forget that even Congressional leaders from opposing parties stood on the steps of the Capitol, holding hands, and looking like they really meant it.

Another moment of reporting I appreciated was the total solar eclipse in August 2017. I envied those who were there for the direct experience, but television and Internet streaming provided a great moment of shared experience that brought the country together for those moments of complete silence and darkness.

Whenever I think of selling Hunt, I recall that it is along the path of where the next total eclipse is scheduled to occur on this continent.

April 8, 2024 is the date. I looked up the path just now, and Hunt is not just along it; it’s smack dab in the center of it.

Funny how nowhere can suddenly look like somewhere if you are paying attention beyond the noise. My unborn grandson will be about 6 by then, God willing. He’s scheduled to arrive in the middle of my favorite time of year, on December 28.

Maybe someone will write a memo, and the world will be better by then.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 9

lawellphoto.com

FOOD

by Andria Frankfort, staff writer

Cookbooks to Give Spark a culinary connection

S

ometimes the simplest gift creates the biggest connection. Like this fall, when Lisa Myers gave her husband Jeff a cookbook for his birthday.

“We like to cook together as a family on Sunday nights,” Lisa says of her husband, chair of head and neck surgery at MD Anderson, and their three teenaged and twenty-something boys. So when James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Solomonov and his business partner Steven Cook released their new book, Israeli Soul: Easy, Essential, Delicious, two days before Jeff’s birthday, Lisa knew exactly what to give her husband.

“We love [Solomonov’s] restaurant in Philadelphia,” Lisa says of the renowned Zahav.

The Myers already enjoyed cooking from Solomonov’s first book, Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking, which won the James Beard Book of the Year and Best International Cookbook in 2016. “We love the food, and it’s not hard to make,” she says. “We make the hummus, of course, and tahini, and normally the kids will cook, too, and Blake will make the pita bread.”

Bon Appétit named Zahav’s hummus its 2015 dish of the year, and renowned chef and author David Lebovitz called it “life-changing … in another stratosphere.” Lisa was excited to give Jeff this new book.

“I wrapped it and wrote an inscription about cooking together and him being my soulmate,” Lisa says. But on the morning of Jeff’s birthday, she went downstairs to find the unwrapped book on their kitchen island. “I wondered how it got there,” she says. “I didn’t think he would have opened it and just left it on the counter and not said anything.” Come to find out, Jeff’s sister had mailed the very same book to him for his birthday. “It’s not always easy to think of a gift for him, so at first I was kind of mad,” Lisa says. “But it turns out we actually used both books while we were cooking, because we each needed to look at different recipes at the same time.”

If, like Lisa, you’ve got some food-loving friends and family to buy for this holiday season, a cookbook (or two) might be just the thing.

Marcia Smart, a food writer, recipe developer and cooking instructor, knows about cookbooks.

As the longtime chair of the cookbook section

THE GIFT OF GREAT RECIPES Jeff and Lisa Myers enjoy cooking together. Jeff has two copies of his favorite cookbook – given to him (by coincidence) by both Lisa and his sister. (Great minds think alike.) When the family cooks together, having two copies comes in handy.

at The Kinkaid School’s annual fall book fair, she keeps a running list of new releases and books she wants to order. Here are a few of her top picks right now: Cook Like a Pro: Recipes and Tips for Home Cooks, by Ina Garten The Barefoot Contessa’s newest book is “a great one, because it’s actually teaching people how to cook,” Marcia says. “It gives really practical learning information.” Food & Wine and several blogs and magazines call Cook Like a Pro one of the best and most-anticipated cookbooks of 2018.

Everyday Dorie: The Way I Cook, by Dorie Greenspan “Dorie Greenspan is an amazing food writer,” Marcia says. Beloved for her books on baking and desserts, with several James Beard Award winners and New York Times bestsellers to her name, Dorie offers this new book as the elevated answer to the age-old question, “What’s for dinner?” Marcia says, “This book is about what’s she’s making in her apartment in Paris using simple, good, fresh ingredients.”

Ottolenghi Simple: A Cookbook, by Yotam Ottolenghi The famed restaurateur and author of Middle Eastern bibles Jerusalem: A Cookbook and Plenty:

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 10

Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London’s Ottolenghi penned this new book as, well, simple, with quick-to-make and make-ahead recipes using pared-down ingredients, often in one pot. “This is weeknight, simple cooking, with those awesome Middle Eastern flavors he’s known for but with much easier prep,” Marcia says.

Skinnytaste One and Done: 140 No-Fuss Dinners for Your Instant Pot®, Slow Cooker, Air Fryer, Sheet Pan, Skillet, Dutch Oven, and More, by Gina Homolka “Gina’s books always fly off the tables at the Kinkaid book fair,” Marcia says. Her recipes are easy to make, healthy and delicious – the kinds of recipes that go straight into regular rotation.

This new book is more of the same, just using one pot or pan.

Apéritif: Cocktail Hour the French Way, by Rebekah Peppler “Every once in a while I’ll do a cocktail class, and I love to collect cocktail cookbooks,” Marcia says. “This is a beautiful one, so it would be a great gift book.” Named one of the best cookbooks and best cocktail books for Fall 2018 by The New York Times and Food & Wine, respectively, Apéritif promises recipes for a daily evening “reset” in the form of drinks and light snacks.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 11

lawellphoto.com

NEIGHBORS

by Tracy L. Barnett, staff writer

Going Green More joy, less waste

H

olidays are a time for giving – and increasingly, people are thinking about ways to give back to the non-human inhabitants of our planet. Mindful of the fact that we’re generating a million tons of extra garbage in that month-long space between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and that our runaway consumption is causing alarming devastation to the biosphere, we caught up with three Buzz-area residents who have been asking themselves a serious question for a long time: How can we slow down amid our holiday frenzy to share our yuletide cheer in a way that supports human creativity and true sharing instead of industries that are harming the environment?

Yvonne Jacobs is a master at repurposing and upcycling, and the holidays give her ample material. Before the holidays, she goes to the Home Depot dumpster and loads up on green boughs pruned from Christmas trees and takes them home to create fresh wreaths and a fragrant holiday table arrangement.

There’s no need to purchase anything; she has stocked up in previous years. Without fail, her neighbors toss out wreaths and other decorations every year, and Yvonne goes about the neighborhood, picking up wreath frames, artificial berries, ornaments and ribbons headed for the landfill. She typically finds trees thrown out on the curb, still strung with lights and hung with ornaments, which she collects and gives away, so that the trees can be picked up for recycling.

Yvonne’s stocking stuffers and gifts to family and friends are always consumable. She likes to give homemade gifts, tickets to events or the gift of her time. Yvonne is more aware than most of the enormous impact our waste is having on the planet. As a 17-year member of the West University Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling Board, she’s made it her business to find out, and to share that information. Her scavenger hunt is done with a sense of purpose and a double mission: decreasing waste and slowing the advance of climate change.

What she can’t use goes to the local Goodwill – or another favorite donor that is always hungry for anything potentially upcyclable, Texas Art

Asylum, which caters to local artists and teachers.

Melted wax from candles, used ribbons and string and wrapping paper, foam packing material, random shiny things – all of it can be repurposed.

“People just need to think twice: Can someone else use it? Can you give it to a charity so they can sell it for the benefit of the needy?

People need to think beyond their immediate need of getting rid of something.”

When it comes to giving, Susie Hairston and Charles Soparkar have always tried to RIBBON REDUX Mark and Yvonne Jacobs spread holiday cheer with a creteach their daughter, ative take on abundance: upcycling neighbors' castaway adornments, ribbons Isabella, that Christmas and bows from the previous holidays to decorate their gifts of champagne. is more about the time sport socks that are made from recycled bottles, you spend, and the experiences you share, than and is trying to raise the money to fund the first about the stuff you receive. Instead of a pile of full run of socks. gifts under the tree, there would be a treasure They have also begun to see the season and hunt. When she was little, it would be picture the process of teaching their 7-year-old son Avi clues – a door, a piano, a toilet. When she was about gift-giving as a powerful opportunity to bigger, the clues were more complex – crossword teach him about gratitude and empathy. puzzles and math problems, for example – and “A couple years ago, if I were to say, ‘What then she’d create treasure hunts for her parents. do you think Grandma would like for the hol“They’ve become these elaborate, solve the idays?’ he would say, ‘Transformers toys!’ So we crossword puzzle to find the clue kinds of projwould have conversations about what he liked, ects that would take half the day,” Susie said. versus what other people liked, and then how Isabella would make her parents gifts every year to think about what might make that person – like the little “coupon books” her mother still happy. Now he gets so excited after he’s been treasures now that Isabella has flown the nest involved to give to other people. It just means and gone off to Washington, D.C., where she so much more.” works as an environmental-policy mediator.

Katy and David Katz have long been passionate about sustainability, so many on their For links, see this story at thebuzzmagazines.com.

Hanukkah gift list will be getting products made Plus, Yvonne, Susie and Katy share fun, creative from recycled materials. Concerned about the 8 and inspiring tips on how to make your holidays billion tons of plastics pouring into the world’s more meaningful and less trashy. oceans each year, David has invented a pair of

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 12

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WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 13

NEIGHBORS

lawellphoto.com

by Annie Blaylock McQueen, staff writer

Carriage Rides Rolling through Christmas lights

H

ooves of large draft horses beat a steady rhythm on the street. Brandi Dowell is sitting atop a bench in a rented horsedrawn carriage, sipping hot cocoa. Festive lights are strung around the sides. She’s bundled in a blanket, sitting next to her best friend of 25 years, Melanie Rothwell. Seven kids’ laughter surrounds them.

The carriage takes the riders past exquisitely decorated homes in River Oaks. The children point out Rudolph, Santa Clauses, dangling Christmas lights, nativity scenes and trees where every last twig is wrapped.

It’s one of Brandi’s favorite Christmas traditions – taking a 2-hour horse-drawn carriage ride through River Oaks to look at lights. The Dowell family has done it every year for almost 10 years.

Looking at elaborate Christmas-light displays in River Oaks is a long-time custom. Some holiday nights, drivers find themselves bumper to bumper, with a horse looking in their back window.

Brandi and her husband Brian, who both work in commodities, started with their four boys, Fletcher, now 12, Judson, 10, Dash, 8, and Watson, 6. Each year, they invite a family or two to join. The group brings hot chocolate and bundles up (or not) for the ride.

Melanie Rothwell and her husband Scott, 10year-old twins Georgia and Ella, and Madeline, 8, often join them. They start out the night with fajitas at the Dowells’ home. “We meet at our house first for hot chocolate and eggnog or hot cider with rum,” said Brandi.

Lauren Teare, a realtor, and her attorney-husband Sean remember when they first got to join in the fun with then-3-year-old daughter Mimi and 3-month-old baby Beau. “Of course, when we showed up, Mimi was more excited about the horses than anything else,” said Lauren. “She didn’t understand we were going on a ride to see lights.”

It was a chilly night and since the carriage is not covered, Lauren brought blankets and wrapped up baby Beau. “The other kids weren’t cold. They were hanging off the sides, having the time of their lives,” said Lauren.

There’s a house somewhere in River Oaks that has a real Santa Claus in the front yard, greeting children on his lap. As the group rolled

SLEIGH BELLS RING The Dowell family – Brian, Brandi, Fletcher (top), (front row, from left) Watson, Judson and Dash – have a longtime tradition of looking at Christmas lights in River Oaks on a carriage ride with friends.

up to it, Mimi made the Santa sighting. “To turn the corner in a carriage and see Santa – it was magical for her,” said Lauren. “They have a big nice chair where he sits. That really is a gift that that family gives to the community.”

Brandi says they usually book the tour on a weeknight – although she says weekends are more fun, just busier. They’ve braved all sorts of Houston weather for the rides – from freezing temps to 80 degrees and rain. “I always joke with Brian that you can tell by the lights every year what oil prices are doing,” she said.

Rick Tatum, owner of Classic Carriage Company, is one of the carriage operators – he has been doing rides in River Oaks and other neighborhoods for about 12 years. He says it’s best to book in advance for a preferred date.

“We try to make lifetime memories for families,” he said. He and his wife Barbara offer carriage rides for 6-12 or truck hayrides for up to 24 (see

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 14

classic-carriageco.com).

Nancy Yardley planned a first-time carriage ride last December for her kids and grandkids.

There were 11 total – including five kids from 18 months up to 7.

Nancy’s daughter-in-law, Kaitlin Yardley, recalled what a gift it was for the family. “I think it’s a perfect thing to do with grandparents,” said Kaitlin.

The family ate dinner at Nancy’s home before the carriage ride. “Of course, the kids all loved the horses,” said Kaitlin. She suggests bringing music, snacks and maybe a favorite stuffed animal or comfort blanket if you’re bringing a small child.

The holidays are a time of the year to celebrate traditions and enjoy time with family.

While you could just load up in the car and drive down streets to look at lights, a car – no matter how loudly you turn up the holidaymusic station – does not go clip clop.

lawellphoto.com

NEIGHBORS

by Cathy Gordon, staff writer

Wild for Yuletide Christmas décor galore at Leslie’s house

’T

was the night before Christmas, when all through the mall, they’re grabbing last-minute gifts. At home, a cursory wreath is slapped on the door. And their tree?

Well, it’s up. Barely. Ornaments hang haphazardly on sad branches. A string of malfunctioning lights flicker in Morse code. Save me…

Welcome to the world of the holiday slacker.

A most foreign concept to Buzz resident Leslie Flynne.

“I started decorating two weeks before Labor Day,” says Leslie, 72, a certified public accountant and voracious ball of energy who could take on Kris Kringle & Co. when it comes to Christmas décor. The admitted Type A personality sits in her living room with pups Atticus Finch and Harper Lee (named for the main character and author, respectively, of her favorite book To Kill a Mockingbird), extolling the wonders of the holiday.

“What do I love about Christmas?

Everything!” she exudes. Indeed. Her 6,800square-foot, three-story Memorial home is an allout holiday extravaganza, an eye-popping winter wonderland with 11 theme-decorated trees.

“Yeah, give me enough music and liquor and I’m good to go. I usually don’t start decorating until Labor Day, but I started two weeks earlier this year due to out-of-town guests coming in.” She points to a living room tree outfitted in delicately handcrafted Christopher Radko glass ornaments.

“I got hooked on him years ago. The ornaments are way overpriced and all glass, but they’re so sparkly, aren’t they? I’m sure the kids would rather have stocks and bonds and trust funds, but instead they’ll have Christmas ornaments.”

“Yeah, I’m not touching that tree,” wisecracks friend Deborah Linder, who was Leslie’s executive assistant for 21 years.

“More like my chief of staff. You had to get through her to get to me,” Leslie deadpans.

Today, Deborah is chief tweaker, tinkering about, making minor adjustments to holiday décor. “There’s always something to be done around here. It’s fabulous. And it gets more and more fabulous every year,” she says. “When we’re done here today, I’m going to take Leslie to a Christmas store she hasn’t seen yet. She’s

gonna flip. Anything shiny and Christmassy and she gets that look in her eye.”

Leslie has always had a child’s eye for Christmas.

Decades ago, in the small town of Shelbyville, Illinois, in a beige house with large A TAD OF SCOTTISH PLAID Holiday guests are in for a treat when they dine wraparound porch, little at Leslie Flynne’s, her dining table set for a festive Christmas.

Leslie came to know napkins. When you grow up with an obsessiveChristmas through the lens of domestic diva compulsive mom and Aunt Eva was an obsesAunt Eva. The mother of four wasn’t actually sive-compulsive housekeeper, then guess what? her aunt, “but like a mom to us who lived two You’re obsessive-compulsive yourself!” doors down.” She provided daycare for Leslie Lessons of artful domesticity are on full disand brother Jeb for years while their career-driplay here, everything in its place, including ven mother worked. needlepoint ornaments handcrafted by Leslie.

Wrinkles weren’t acceptable in Aunt Eva’s Dogs Atticus Finch, an oversized bichon frise, world. She took in townsfolk’s laundry, pressing (often mistaken for a sheepdog puppy) and his bed linens and tablecloths to smooth perfection. partner in crime, yorkie-poo Harper Lee, pad A proper napkin was always ironed and around as if they own the place. starched. Housekeeping was an art form.

“Um, they do,” she jokes.

“She taught me that I could stoke my fasciThe garden room, a.k.a. “the dog’s room,” nation with detail,” says Leslie. overlooks a lush courtyard and has a Christmas There were no hastily wrapped Christmas tree accented in baubles by ceramic maker packages under her watch, no reckless orgy of MacKenzie-Childs. What’s more, the canine paper and Scotch tape. Gift-wrapping was a dispair has an adjacent bathroom with a Christmas cipline, a mathematical formula guaranteed to tree of dog bone and puppy ornaments, its showproduce crisp, creased corners. er floor awash in needlepoint and embroidered “Christmas made such an impression on me doggy pillows. because it was this magical time at Aunt Eva’s.

“Yeah, they aren’t pampered. Not my dogs.”

She was this amazing housekeeper who made They rock holiday fashions too. Harper Lee kills cookies and made ironing look cool. Life was in a Martha Stewart gray wool dress with red piping usually very disciplined with my mom’s work and pleated skirt. Atticus Finch goes the sophistiand Aunt Eva’s chores, but at Christmas it cated route in a simple Scottish plaid bowtie. slowed down. There would always be tons of “So, yes, the dogs are decorated too,” she says, wrapped-up packages under the tree, used toys, of the canines who attend doggy daycare during though we didn’t realize that at the time, and the week. “Yep. Like kids. There’s a car line for everything was so festive. So I grew up with the that. They get pampered there, but I think they’re idea that Christmas was really a time that you happy to come home at the end of the day.” spent more time doing family things and not She recalls the first time she decorated the working so hard. house, shared with late husband John “I’ve got to say, my mom and all of my mom’s MacFarlane. She had years worth of Christmas friends were absolutely immaculate in everydécor and knew it would fill the place. “But no. thing they did,” Leslie continued. “To this day, The house swallowed it up like it was nothing. I I can’t even imagine not ironing and starching

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 16

PUPS & SWAPS Guests were all smiles at last year’s ornament-exchange party. Pups were welcome too. First row, from left: Mary Stevenson, Donna Jett, Nancy Levicki, host Leslie with dog Harper Lee, Kelly Cabler with Leslie’s other pup Atticus Finch and Merritt Buchanan. Second row, from left: Karen Dixon, Gloria Ryan, Cathy Williams, Michelle Green, Helen Smith and Candace Caley with dog Boo Radley. Third row, from left: Ashley Jennings, Mindy Clarke, Felicia Hobbs, Debbie Lackey, Julie Lindley, Jennifer Reese, Vicki Salingre and Amanda Hofstetter. Top row, from left: Gwen Shackleford, Debbie Green, Deborah Linder, Angela Bacot and Kelli Anne Porter.

had to buy more.”

She met John at a work seminar he was teaching. The two worked at the same accounting firm. When they married in 1980 it was a package deal, John bringing two young sons to the union, Scott and Craig.

“That was an excellent reason to go crazy for Christmas. And now I have five grandchildren, so you can imagine how that gets me going.”

John, who died six years ago, was a good sport when it came to her “obsession.” He even surprised her with a Christmas tree when they moved to the home in December of 2000, aware there would be no time for decorating.

Red ornaments, dinged and faded, adorned the tree, ones he’d previously hung on tomato plants to deter birds. “He’d read that if you hang red ornaments on a tomato plant the birds would peck them and then take off. Well, these birds must have pecked and pecked. Now those were on our Christmas tree. It was a wonderful Christmas, but the décor wasn’t up to my standards for sure,” she says, laughing. “It’s the thought that counts.”

Losing John left quite the void.

“I don’t believe that you can outrun grief, but you can give it a good run. John and I were married 33 years, and he made me laugh and gave me endless encouragement every day. I am happy enough and very thankful for my health, family, friends, my job and opportunities to help others. He would be disappointed in me if I did

not keep moving my life forward in a big way. I have a lot to do, and it is Christmas!”

The two loved making the holiday special for others, she explains. “Now it is my responsibility to continue to do that, and so I plan on making every Christmas even more special.”

Her love of Christmas is contagious.

A college-age grandchild asked Leslie to help decorate her apartment for Christmas, before Thanksgiving. “So yeah, that bug has spread.”

Word of Leslie’s annual ornament-exchange party has spread too.

Business acquaintance Karen Dixon, a financial adviser, went for the first time last year.

“The car in front of me contained a pair of ladies with boxes that looked like they could have held the contents of an entire tree. I wondered if I had arrived at the right address,” she recalls. “I thought surely a baby shower or something was going on near there.”

No, Karen didn’t realize that an ornament exchange doesn’t mean an ornament exchange, explains Leslie. “People bring all kinds of gifts to the ornament exchange, big and small, and it can be anything. Rookie mistake.”

“Yeah, it gets more over the top each year,” interjects Deborah, keeper of the rules.

“Everybody tries to beat out the next person for the biggest and best. Leslie serves this great meal, then we pick a number and go in order, picking out a present from under the tree. A person can steal another person’s present. It can’t

be stolen more than twice. The third person that gets it, that present is dead. No more stealing it.”

Regulars know the drill, some bringing elaborate gifts. Paula Parish, who used to work with Leslie, once nabbed the most sought-after item, a shawl with fox fur trim. “I was its last steal. I don’t think the other ladies were happy with me.”

Newbie Karen, accompanied by two other first-timers, thought her silver Reed & Barton cross ornament would be a showstopper last year.

“We all looked at each other and cringed, beat-red in the corner, waiting for someone to pick our gifts,” she recalls. “I thought mine would be one of the cherished ornaments and get stolen a bunch of times. Much to my dismay, my box was the last one under the tree.”

She’s dusted herself off, ready for battle at future ornament exchanges. “And I won’t bring an ornament,” she says, chuckling. “It was a group of lovely ladies, a beautiful lunch and a winter wonderland like I’d never seen before.

And you know what? Leslie ended up picking my present, and that makes me happy. She’s the type of person who would really appreciate something as simple as a Christmas ornament.”

“Oh yes. I thought it quite smart. Beautiful,” says Leslie.

It’s gone from lone package under the tree to hanging on the same tree, a sterling silver cross among delicate Christopher Radko glass baubles.

“Radkos can break, but that Reed & Barton cross could be here for generations. It’s a keeper.”

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NEIGHBORS

by Cathy Gordon, staff writer

Wartime letters lead to love

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harles Wolfe, 87, reaches into a tiny peach-colored bedroom for a thimblesized coffee mug, pointing out the wording on its center.

Helen.

A name that means “shining light, the bright one,” states Greek etymology.

A strikingly apropos definition, Charles would agree.

“She was a spectacular woman. Everyone loved her,” he says of his late wife, she of the name on teensy cup. A succession of miniature poodles the couple raised is even more miniature in this abode, a three-story, eight-room Victorian dollhouse Charles built for Helen in the 1980s. It sits in his living room at Brookdale West University senior living, tiny windows into more than four decades of marriage.

“Ours is a pretty neat story,” he says, a smile creasing his face.

In April 1967, war raging, the 36-year-old Presbyterian minister felt a calling to go to Vietnam. As Army chaplain to an engineering battalion, the divorcee and father to four sons became a steady hand for young men facing the chaos of war. He crawled into machine gun nests at night to pray with them, share a cup of coffee. Calm their nerves.

On the other side of the world, Helen Bickel, 34, a tall brunette with a scholarly bent, labored over her dissertation, Women’s Work Values, at the State University of New York at Albany. Statistics in the paper presented a snag. Statistician and fellow doctoral student Lee Wolfe offered to help.

How could she repay his kindness?

“Send a care package to my brother in Vietnam,” Lee replied.

A package of cigarettes, peanuts and other goodies arrived one day at the Can Tho Army Airfield in the Mekong Delta, south of Saigon, an area laced with rivers, rice paddies and patches of dense jungle. It made its way to a makeshift office in a walled-off space in a storage shed, into the hands of Army chaplain Wolfe.

“So I get this package from a stranger in New York. Then a couple of days later I get a letter from her explaining why I got it, and I send her a thank-you. And she sends me a thank-you for

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Memoir of a Romance my thank-you, then I thank her for her thank-you to my thank-you,” Charles chuckles, eyes dancing at the memory.

Fingers flew on his manual typewriter. Tap. Tap. Tap. Ding.

Musings from an Army chaplain in a war-torn land.

He told her about the culture, the food. About the time a mortar shell hit a 30pound bucket of MINISTER & MINIATURES Charles Wolfe relaxes in his living room, the dollhouse grease and men he made for late wife Helen in the background. used “elbow grease onto pavement. Shrapnel gouged his lower leg. to scrub the grease off.”

“It’s one of those things where just a few inchA paper trail of Vietnam experiences stamped es one way or another and I could have been and bound for Helen in Albany, New York. killed,” Charles says. “So I’ve always felt that Sometimes he included a gift. A Vietnamese God expected me to do something in return for dress. A purse made of water buffalo hide. that, for getting a little extra life span.”

Progressive-thinker Helen was equally forthFate intended his life to include Helen Bickel. coming about her world, writing of feelings and On leave in Singapore, just three months ambitions. She’d been a teacher, then got her before his deployment was to end, he “rolled the masters in counseling at Cornell University. She dice” and made a collect call to the woman he was working hard at a doctorate degree in stuknew only through a picture and words on a page. dent administration with a focus on counseling.

“I told her, ‘I didn’t know if you were going They wrote about their joys, their concerns. Life. to accept the charges.’ If she hadn’t, that would “If you know you’re never going to meet have told me that we were just pen pals, nothing somebody… I mean never going to meet them, more. When she accepted, I thought, ‘Who and you’re both literate, you can get to know knows where this could lead?’” them better in letters than you can face-to-face,” By the time they met, they already knew each explains Charles. “And so, we are hanging ourother’s flaws and strengths, fears and hopes. It’s selves out to dry, sharing and sharing, because as if they’d been courting. Conversation flowed we both know we’d never meet each other.” where letters left off.

Letters continued, heavier stuff along with They married September 15, 1968. the mundane. Like the time Charles was injured They were the perfect scholarly duo. He, a by mortar shell during the Tet offensive, a minister and academic, an expert translator of month-long coordinated attack by the North ancient Biblical Greek. She, a staunch advocate Vietnamese and communist Viet Cong forces of education and women’s rights. against targets in South Vietnam. The blast cat“They were a good fit,” says eldest son Chris, apulted him into the air, slamming him hard

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 18

MILITARY MEMORIES Charles and Helen, pen pals while he was an Army chaplain in Vietnam, are all dressed up for their first formal military affair together. At right: Charles makes a chaplain visit to an engineer squad in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta in the winter of 1967.

a Houston corporate attorney, of his dad and stepmom. “But there were some pretty funny differences too.”

“She definitely ran the household. Every time I’d go to their place Helen would have a long list of items to fix around the house. I remember once she asked me to hang a towel rack and she said something like ‘I sure wish your dad knew how to do things like this.’ I said, ‘But he can translate from ancient Greek.’ And she said, ‘But I need towel racks up much more frequently that I need ancient Greek translated.’”

Helen was a bit more reserved, Chris adds, “and dad can chat up a stranger.” He has written a book about his dad titled The Pastor, a recount of Charles’s life for family.

Theirs was a happy marriage with mutual respect for each other’s careers.

Helen held posts in New York state government, including deputy director of an education agency under Governor Nelson Rockefeller. She gained notoriety for a groundbreaking study on inner city schools in tough neighborhoods.

She became national head of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) in Washington D.C., a private organization that empowered women with leadership skills, networking opportunities. She was a progressive champion for women, toiling for equal rights.

And on one of the most memorable days of her life, save the day she met Charles, she was called to the White House to witness President Jimmy Carter’s Oct. 20, 1978 signing of an extension to the Equal Rights Amendment.

Carter gave her the pen. Charles treasures it to this day.

“She was also advisor to the commandant of

the U.S. Marine Corps on matters of marine education,” Charles says proudly, joking that at one time she was his boss. “She was dean of the graduate school at Western Maryland College, now McDaniel College, where I spent some time as an adjunct professor.”

Charles is no slouch himself.

He had 23 years in the military between active service and time in the National Guard.

While Helen worked for the AAUW, he received his doctorate at the Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington D.C. The first half of his career, he was a Presbyterian minister, switching to Methodist after doctoral studies. He combined ministry with a passion for academics and authored half a dozen books, guides to interpreting the Bible. He published sermons and edited a magazine with a minister audience.

With age setting in and careers winding down, the couple had planned the move to Houston from their Baltimore home. But Helen succumbed to pancreatic cancer in March of 2013 at age 79, just two weeks before the scheduled move. “It was so unexpected and sudden,” Charles says. “Everything was a blur. I can barely remember how I got here.”

“His home’s sold, his wife’s gone, he’s moved from his hometown. It was a massive shock,” says Chris, who lives a mile away from his dad.

“He was trying to understand why he was alive and Helen was dead. He was grappling with that and wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with the rest of his life.”

The minister found salvation in travel.

“It was my new lease on life,” he said of doing one-on-one trips with his grandchildren to all corners of the globe. Charles has 13 grandchil-

dren, 8 great-grandchildren.

“It became his mission,” says Chris.

He’s cruised around Cape Horn in the southernmost tip of South America and snorkeled in the Galapagos Islands. He’s seen Belgium and Holland and paid respects in Auschwitz. He’s been to Costa Rica, Germany, Panama, Guatemala and on a Caribbean cruise.

And he’s found new companionship in the form of Rita Carlson, a widow once married to a Lutheran pastor. “She’s a young squirt at 84.

Vibrant. A great sense of humor. We get along well,” Charles says. They recently took a Mississippi river cruise.

“I told dad recently that I didn’t think it’s a good idea for him to travel abroad anymore with language issues and the need for quality, consistent medical care,” says Chris. “He said, ‘You’re telling me I can’t leave the United States?’ I said, ‘Yes, but most people don’t consider that a hardship to be told you’re limited to the Continental United States.’”

Charles is taking those travel restrictions and running with it.

He recently returned from Washington D.C., one of 32 Vietnam veterans selected for an Honor Flight Houston trip to see military memorials and monuments. The Honor Flight Network has flown over 159,000 veterans to the memorials since 2005.

When they returned to Hobby Airport, a crowd was there to cheer them, a brass band playing. “We thought we were tough old birds, but not so tough that we didn’t cry,” says Charles.

“That trip brought back a lot of memories.”

No doubt of his time as an Army chaplain and a pen pal named Helen.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 19

NEIGHBORS

by Jennifer Oakley, staff writer

Handmade Decorations Time-honored holiday traditions lawellphoto.com

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hen Pamela and Hayne Blakely had their daughter, Alane, 31 years ago, something in addition to their baby was born: a homemade holiday tradition.

Before Alane’s birth, the couple celebrated and decorated for Christmas with items they bought from stores. But it was a gift from a friend during her pregnancy that got Pamela firmly immersed in a tradition that has become a hallmark of their holidays.

Back in 1987, Pamela was placed on bedrest in their West University Place home during her high-risk pregnancy. Confined to bed with a lot of time on her hands, she was gifted a goodie basket from her neighbor, Cindy Thorp. “Cindy put in bon bons and some trash novels, things to keep me occupied,” recalls the bubbly and energetic Pamela. “And she also had a little piece of needlepoint in there.” Pamela, a certified public accountant, had never stitched needlepoint, but the small square with the words “Baby Sleeping” beckoned.

Only allowed out of her house for doctor’s appointments, Pamela asked Hayne to pop by a needlepoint shop en route one day. “I thought I needed to figure out how to do this,” she says. “I was crafty, and I sewed a lot. But I had never ever done needlepoint. So I asked Hayne to drive me to the store, and I quickly went and bought a needlepoint book for me, and I taught myself basic stitches.”

By the time Alane arrived, Pamela had completed the “Baby Sleeping” door hanger for the nursery. “That was the only thing I did until after Alane was born,” says Pamela. “Then I went and bought a Christmas stocking canvas to stitch for her, and after than an ornament.

And the tradition was born!”

When Pamela and Hayne had their son, Grant, she was inspired to stitch even more. Her homemade creations adorn their home. “I love the finished products, and I think they are so beautiful,” Pamela says. “I feel like I am making heirlooms for my family. They say, ‘What is my ornament this year, Mom?’ It has become part of our family traditions.”

In fact, Pamela has stitched so many ornaments that she has a dedicated Needlepoint

DECK THE HALLS Pamela Blakely celebrates in a big way, with three Christmas trees.

Christmas tree in their family room. Even that does not hold all the ornaments, so Pamela has taken to decorating the dining room chandelier with them.

To help her learn more about the stitching,

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 20

Pamela took needlepoint classes at Needle House and Chaparral Needlepoint. She fell in love with making detailed and intricate Nativity scenes, standing Santas and whimsical items such as needlepoint gingerbread houses. “The

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A STITCH IN TIME At left: Pamela and Hayne Blakely have a Christmas tree dedicated solely to Texas A&M, where their children attended college. Top right: This “Baby Sleeping” door hanger is the needlepoint project that started Pamela’s interest in stitching. Bottom right: Pamela Blakely has needlepointed so many ornaments they have their own Christmas tree.

first Nativity I made was for Alane,” notes Pamela. “But Grant says he likes being second because I always improve on them. Over the years, the canvases have improved, and so have the threads.”

Pamela notes that the process of hand needlepointing a project takes time and patience. "If I am at my house I am always stitching,” she says. “My fingers get itchy to stitch! I call it my therapy.”

A Christmas stocking takes a full year to complete and have finished (a needlepoint store attaches the lining and backing). “It’s always so exciting to see the finished product,” she says.

“This is my hobby, and it is beautiful. To me it is like painting with thread and with fibers.”

Pamela likes to choose hand-painted canvases to stitch. “For example, when I look at a bunny on a canvas, I know stitches that can make the fur look real and touchable,” she says. “I use a lot of different stitches and thread because it really enhances the canvas.”

The Blakelys have a Christmas tree with glass ornaments in their living room and, in a nod to where both Alane and Grant attended, a Texas A&M Christmas tree in their dining room. But the needlepoint items take center stage. One Nativity is placed on the dining room sideboard, while another rests on the living room coffee table. The needlepoint Santas stand sentry all

over the house, their stitching so creative, they look three-dimensional.

Pamela says that although she stitches yearround, the Christmas items bring her the biggest joy. “When you see all of these things, you just know it’s Christmas,” says Pamela. “It does put you in the right holiday mood. My kids and husband love it!”

And, this year, Pamela has more traditions to begin, this time for granddaughter Avery.

“Alane and her husband, Kevin Avila, had their first child on August 30,” says Pamela. “I am already starting on her Christmas stocking and ornament. It’s very special to me.” And as for that first “Baby Sleeping” door hanger? Pamela has sent it over to hang on baby Avery’s door.

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nother family who celebrates the holiday season with a special, homemade tradition are Lee Anne and Jason Dixon, who live in Bellaire with sons Jacob and Carter, who both attend Episcopal High School. Every year since they got married in 1997, Lee Anne and Jason have crafted a unique memento from their Christmas tree: a personalized slice of the tree trunk that they cut, cure and emblazon with words that epitomize their year.

“Jason and I got the idea from my sister and her husband, Kathy and Greg Anderson, who

also lived in Bellaire,” says Lee Anne, a principal with Walter P. Moore, an engineering firm.

“When they were first married, they had a 'Charlie Brown’ Christmas tree, which was what they could afford at the time. They decided to cut a piece of the tree as a memory. So they cut their tree and turned it into an ornament and used a Sharpie to decorate it.”

Lee Anne and Jason were both attracted to the idea of making memories from Christmas trees. “But we took it one step further,” she says.

“That first year, we just cut a circle from the tree trunk, and Jason figured out how to polish it and smooth it and sand it down. That year, when we got married, all we wrote were our names and ‘Merry Christmas 1997.’”

The couple decided to not turn their Christmas tree slice into an ornament, but instead a treasured keepsake to display every year.

“We thought it would be neat to do and have 50 of them one day,” says Lee Anne, noting that they have 21 so far, which they proudly display in two large wooden bowls every holiday season.

In the two-plus decades since that first holiday disk was created, Lee Anne and Jason have finetuned the process, which starts with picking out a tree that will not only look pretty for their decorations but also boasts a trunk the correct width (continued on page 22) for Jason to cut.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 21

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THE DIXONS Jason and Lee Anne Dixon, with sons, Carter (at left) and Jacob, look forward to celebrating the season in their Bellaire home, which is nearing restoration after being flooded during Harvey. Every year the Dixon family crafts a unique memento from their Christmas tree: a personalized slice of the tree trunk that they cut, cure and emblazon with words that epitomize their year. (continued from page 21)

“Now we evaluate trunks, and Jason had to get clever how to slice it to get a nice writing space,” says Lee Anne. “We have to be careful about not letting the Christmastree people trim or shave any parts off.” And, once the tree is chosen, decorated and enjoyed for the holidays, Jason takes over in January. “I drain it out and chop all the branches off the trunk and then leave the 6- to 8-foot tree trunk in our garage to dry,” says Jason, a structural engineer. “It’s a family joke every year that I have that tree trunk in the corner of the garage. I let the sap cure and then I shave a slice through an area of trunk. I have learned to cut at an angle to get a larger area.

Then I sand it down and write on slices with a pencil. I pencil in the words and any drawings, and then I trace over it and wood burn it.”

Using equal parts sentiment and humor, the Dixons’ disks are a treasure trove of family mem-

ories. “We try to write what stands out as truly unique,” says Lee Anne. “We usually have something profound that makes sense. On one side we will write the word ‘Christmas’ and the year and then the message on the other side.”

Over the years the messages have been sweet, funny or sometimes tongue-in-cheek.

“One year Carter had meningitis, so we wrote ‘MERRY MENINGITIS,’” says Lee Anne.

“Another year Jason had knee surgery, so he drew a picture of the knee halo brace that he had to wear for months.” One year was dedicated to close friends and neighbors the Fitzpatricks (Ryan Fitzpatrick is a former Houston Texans quarterback who moved to quarterback the New York Jets – and, later, Tampa Bay), with the tree slice saying “MERRY FITZMAS.” Jason sent the disk to New York, where the Fitzpatrick family signed the disk and mailed it back.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 22

And, then, there are the hurricanes, with these inscriptions branded into the wood: “RITA REFUGEES,” “BAKER IKE BUNKER” and “HARVEY,” whose “H” has a Houston Astros star surrounding it, reflecting 2017, when their Bellaire home flooded. “Watching the Astros was the only thing that kept us semi-happy the first six weeks after Harvey,” says Lee Anne.

This year has been memorable for the Dixons, as they have been rebuilding their downstairs while living upstairs. The house is nearing completion, and they look forward to being able to bring out their Christmas tree disks to celebrate and reflect this holiday season. As for what they will write on their tree slab for 2018, well, that’s still up in the air. “I just try to be clever with it if I can,” says Jason. “All of these are unique and all bring back a memory that is precious to us.

These are our heirlooms.”

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 23

Bertuzzi Photography.

NEIGHBORS

by Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld, staff writer

Holiday Happenings What to do around town

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ooking for ideas on what to do over the holidays? Here is a good place to start. For more, see our events calendar online.

Zoo Lights Houston Zoo, Museum District Through Jan. 13, 2019; closed Dec. 19, 24 and 25. 5-11 p.m. (closes 10 p.m. on “value nights;” last entry 1-1½ hours before closing) Admission: $17.95-$22.95 for non-members; 1 and under: free Animal-themed light displays surrounded by the zoo’s real animals. Fifteen miles of LED lights illuminate oak trees and decorate paths.

A Christmas Carol – A Ghost Story of Christmas Alley Theatre, downtown Through Dec. 30; see website for dates and times.

Admission: $37 and up A family-friendly re-telling of Charles Dickens’ classic story, which follows Ebenezer Scrooge’s journey with three ghostly spirits who visit him on Christmas Eve.

Magical Winter Lights 2018 Gulf Greyhound Park, La Marque Through Jan. 6, 2019. Sun.-Thurs., 5-10 p.m.; Fri-Sat., 5-11 p.m. Open all holidays.

Huge, illuminated displays, plus a holiday market, photo ops with Santa, acrobatic performances, rides and games.

The Ice at Discovery Green Discovery Green, downtown Through Jan. 27, 2019. Times vary.

Admission: $11; $4 skate rental Ice skate outside at Discovery Green all winter.

Check the website for special themed skating events.

7th Annual Southside Place Winter Wonderland Carnival Southside Clubhouse, 3743 Garnet St. Sat., Dec. 1, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Admission: Free. Wristbands to play games: $20; meal tickets: $7 Carnival games, inflatables, mechanical bull, rock-climbing wall, snow, photos with Santa,

face painting, shopping bazaar.

B e l l a i r e Chanukah Festival

WINTER WONDERLAND The Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens will be

Bellaire Town transformed by thousands of lights and family-friendly holiday activities.

Square, 7001 5th St., Bellaire Moonlight Movies: Holiday Edition Sun., Dec. 2, 4-6:30 p.m.

CityCentre, 800 Town and Country Blvd.

Admission: $8-10 Wed., Dec. 12, 7 p.m.

The Shul of Bellaire hosts a "Magical Admission: Free Chanukah" featuring magician, illusionist and Gather in CityCentre’s plaza to watch It’s a comedian John O'Bryant. Dinner buffet, latkes, Wonderful Life on a massive screen. inflatables, carnival, craft booths, “magical menorah.”

Christmas Village at Bayou Bend Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, 6003 30th Annual West U Christmas Memorial Dr. Tree Lighting Dec. 14-Jan. 5. Weds., Thurs., Sun., 5:30-9 West U Community Building, 6104 Auden St. p.m.; Friday-Sat., 5:30-10 p.m.

Mon., Dec. 3, 5:30 p.m.

Admission: $10-15 for non-members; free for Admission: Free 4 and under.

Celebrate the start of the holiday season with Thousands of lights plus holiday-themed West U neighbors as the tree is lit. tours of Ima Hogg’s historic mansion, model train, snow “sledding,” carolers, photos with The Nutcracker Santa.

Wortham Theater, downtown Through Dec. 29; see website for dates and times.

Bunker Hill’s Twinkle Light Parade Admission: $30 and up Bunker Hill Village The Houston Ballet returns to the Wortham Thurs., Dec. 20, 6-8 p.m.

Theater with the holiday classic The Nutcracker.

Admission: Free Parade with floats, Santa and caroling.

10th Annual Gingerbread BuildBegins at Bunker Hill Elementary (11950 Off Taylorcrest), winds through the Village and City Hall’s Hermann Square, downtown ends at Frostwood Elementary.

Sat., Dec. 8, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Admission: Free Handel’s Messiah Hosted by the Architecture Center Houston, Jones Hall, downtown teams create gingerbread masterpieces using 100 Dec. 21-22, 8 p.m.; Dec. 23, 2:30 p.m. percent edible materials. Kids’ construction Admission: $29 and up zone, Santa, food trucks, music.

The Houston Symphony, chorus and guest soloists perform holiday tunes, including the Jewish Culture Fest “Hallelujah Chorus.”

Levy Park, 3801 Eastside St. Sun., Dec. 9, 1-6 p.m.

Admission: Free See this story at thebuzzmagazines.com for links The Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community to event websites, plus our online calendar for more Center hosts a festival with music, crafts, food, things to do. Check out the Buzzworthy blog for art and social-action projects.

New Year’s Eve festivities.

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Give Juice, Get Juice It's the season of giving at Nekter Juice Bar! Receive a FREE $5 bonus card with purchase of a $25 gift card, a FREE $10 bonus card when purchasing a $50 gift card, or a FREE $20 bonus card with purchase of a $100 gift card. Share the joy or treat yourself with Nekter! Nekter Juice Bar, 3800 Southwest Fwy., Houston, Texas 77027, www.nekterjuicebar.com WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 26

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Moscow Mule the Easy Way

Snuggle Up This Season Style meets softness with Barefoot Dreams wraps, cardigans, socks and throws. Machine-washable and oh-so versatile, they’re the perfect holiday gift! Wraps and cardigans start at $117 and are available in sizes S-XL. Magpies Gifts, 5000 Bellaire Blvd., Bellaire, Texas 77401, 713.661.9777, magpiesgifts.com

Show up with the perfect gift for the holidays! Mule 2.0 pre-mixed Moscow Mule! 8 percent ABV. Natural ginger and lemonlime flavors. Gluten-free.

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Holiday Joe Houston’s premier coffee roaster has just made gift giving easier than ever! Simply order any of our popular single origin micro-lot coffees or our perennial holiday favorite, “Christmas Morning Blend,” via our website, and we’ll mail it the day it’s roasted. Now that’s good cheer! Java Pura Coffee Roasters, 5250 Gulfton, Suite 4G, Houston, Texas 77081, 713.523.JAVA, www.javapura.com

Ho Ho Ho ’Tis the season for holiday decorations and gifts for family and friends.

Unique furnishings and interior-design services for your home are available at Monaco Interiors. Featured: Santa cookie jar with reindeer shakers and tree cookie plates, $225. Monaco Interiors, 2522 Bissonnet St., Houston, Texas 77005, 832.409.6599, monacointeriors.design WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 27

KIDS

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by Annie Blaylock McQueen, staff writer

Buzz Baby

Holiday heirlooms

Buzz Baby is a column about life with little ones.

Writer Annie McQueen has three children age 4 and under.

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ven if you naturally have a crafty side, sometimes you need a little inspiration to motivate your creations. Like a baby. Or a grandbaby.

Olivia Fisher’s muse these days is Mark Elliott Bellows, her 1-year-old grandchild.

She makes him handmade Christmas stockings, carefully thought out nursery-wall hangings, and heirloom smocked outfits.

Decades before little Mark Elliott arrived, his mom Anne was his grandmother’s inspiration, along with his mom’s brother, Richard. They inspired his grandmother to spend thousands of hours crafting needlepoint creations and creating gifts, school-auction items and more.

Olivia, who is patiently waiting for Mark Elliott to dub her a grandmother nickname, has been a gifted needle pointer most of her life.

Daughter Anne says her mom’s house is filled with needlepoint pillows, framed needlepoint, and benches. “Pillows only the baby is allowed to touch,” said Anne, smiling. “He gets away with everything.”

Olivia, who spends part of her time at her house in Wyoming, has found humor in the amount of needlepoint that she has crafted over the years. “My joke is that my needlepoint will probably be party favors at my funeral because my kids won’t want any of it,” she said, laughing.

“No one needs all of that.”

Anne, a former middle school art teacher and now at-home mom, recalls falling asleep as a child to the sound of her mother’s sewing machine down the hall. “Now that I’m a mom to only one child, I wonder when my mom ever had time to make anything for us,” she said.

Anne says her mom always had a project.

“Whether we were traveling or watching a movie, she’d carry her plastic bag with her canvas and threads everywhere.” When Anne left for college, she returned to find her dresser had become a workspace for Olivia’s collection of threads – filling the dresser with a rainbow of colors.

Mark Elliott wears a smocked jumper that belonged to his uncle – Anne’s brother, Richard – when he was a little boy. The outfit has been saved for years to pass down to the next generation.

“I like to make funky things,” said Olivia.

The Christmas stocking she made for Mark Elliott has a reindeer on it with his INSPIRATION Held by his grandmother, Olivia Fisher, little Mark Elliott Bellows m o n o g r a m models one of her many creations – this one was worn by his Uncle Richard a generation before. Olivia, a gifted needlepointer, makes Christmas stockings, wall hanginscribed above it, ings, outfits and more.

“MEB,” and little Latrelle partially paralyzed, she couldn’t stitch holiday lights hang from the antlers. Olivia also anymore. Mia carried on her passion. made a hippopotamus-themed wall hanging for After her nest became empty and she retired his nursery. as a doctor 10 years ago, she started back up. She Anne says her mom has been known to work has since made Christmas stockings for her chilon just one piece daily for six months. Olivia dren’s spouses, ornaments for cities her family says she is not planning to stop anytime soon. members have lived in, “Shhh! Baby is sleeping” Another avid creator, Mia Appling can be door hangers, nursery wall hangings and more. found most days crafting the latest creation for “There are so many different kinds of threads – one of her three (and one more on the way) every little piece is a different stitching pattern. grandchildren. She spent hours crafting special Then it’s lots of fun to gather up different beads keepsakes for her own three children, although to put on it,” she said. sometimes motherhood and a career as an obsteMia’s skills have evolved over the years, and trician-gynecologist didn’t allot as much time. she reflects on how far she’s come. “I still have “The joke is that it took until [my son’s] 16th the [items] I made when we first got married,” birthday to finally to finish his stocking,” she said. “It came from a kit at Michaels.” laughed Mia. The carefully thought-out Christmas stockMia has three kids, oldest Amy McCauley, ings play a big role every Christmas morning, middle Laura Rueckheim and youngest Alan. when the whole family gathers at her house.

Each one has a needlepoint stocking and “We have coffee and breakfast, and then we Christmas ornament lovingly made by Mia. move into the living room [to open] presents by Mia took sewing classes in high school and the tree.” carried on the hobby as a newlywed. She also After Christmas is over, the presents learned from her mother and mother-in-law, unwrapped, and families return to their homes, Nona Morazzani and Latrelle Appling. Her Mia carefully packs up the stockings for the next mom was always sewing and crafting, and year – and more memories to come.

Latrelle was into stitching. After a stroke left

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TRAVEL

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by Tracy L. Barnett, staff writer

Travel Buzz W

No parents allowed

hen their first grandchild, Thomas, was 6, Jack and Kelly McNeill began a family holiday tradition that has meant more than any gift they could have given: the gift of their time, spent traveling together to a place that was close to their hearts.

Jack, an orthopedic surgeon, and Kelly, an interior designer, moved from Beaumont to River Oaks in 2010 so they could be close by and watch their grandchildren grow up. They arrived none too soon, as it turned out.

“Now that they’re in high school they say, ‘Hi, Kitty, ’bye, Poppy,’ as they’re running by – they’ve got their own agenda,” said Kelly with a chuckle. “That’s why I treasure the trips we’ve had with them.”

The McNeill family tradition is a simple one.

It consists of a first trip, when the child is 6 or 7, and a second one, when they are 16 or 17. There is just one rule: no parents allowed.

“Every trip we’ve had, it’s been great fun,” said Jack. “And it does improve the relationship when you don’t have the parents looking over their shoulder all the time, and they can just have a good time – and we spoil them.”

The tradition has given them the opportunity to enjoy one-on-one time and observe the changes in each of their grandchildren over time as they share a favorite city at a favorite time of year: New York City at Christmastime.

Kelly studied at Parsons School of Design in Manhattan back in the ’50s, and the couple has continued to go back to the city nearly every year to enjoy the extravagant way it decks the halls for the holidays. Now inviting their grandchildren into this tradition has made it extra special.

“Their eyes were just wide open looking at all the sights,” Jack recalled, laughing fondly at the memories of the children’s amazement at the stunning displays, many of which feature lifesized animated people, children, animals and fantastical creatures.

Every trip is different, but there are some constants. There’s the massive Christmas tree lighting up Rockefeller Center, and the spectacular window displays throughout Manhattan’s shopping district; carriage rides through Central Park; center-front seats at Broadway perform-

ances like The Lion King; museums, shopping, and the frozen hot chocolate and sundaes at Serendipity 3, the legendary restaurant and general store with a celebrity clientele and lines that stretch around the block.

What makes it especially fun, said Kelly, is seeing the change in the children over time.

“They go from toy stores to Gucci and Tiffany’s in no time at all,” she laughed.

Thomas’ first trip, over a decade ago, came at a time when he was fascinated by magic.

“He smiled the whole time,” recalled Jack. “He trooped around the city like a big boy – but he only wanted to look at magic tricks.”

They took him to the CITY ON THREE WHEELS Jack “Poppy” McNeill escorts wife Kelly “Kitty” and grandson Thomas, now 19, in a three-wheel bike taxi in the theater district after a Toys ‘R’ Us in Times matinee, then on to Lincoln Center for the circus.

Square – the one with guide, he recalled when his grandparents told him the huge Ferris wheel in the middle – and rode they were planning to take him to New York. “I it with him. “He mastered card tricks at a very was pretty stoked about the whole idea,” he said. early age,” his grandfather recalled proudly.

Both experiences left him with a better A decade later, Thomas’ tastes had, preunderstanding of the world, he said. And though dictably, changed – but his grandparents weren’t he’s traveled far and often with his parents – quite prepared for how much they’d changed.

Ivette is a native of Veracruz, Mexico, and Brad This time, he was more interested in the highis a manager at Pemex, the Mexican national oil end men’s designer stores. company – there’s something different about “He’s looking at shoes that are $6-700 a pair,” traveling with Kitty and Poppy. said Kelly. “Poppy says, ‘I know you can appre“When I travel with my grandparents, time ciate quality, but I’m not paying that kind of goes so much slower,” he said. “It’s more of a money for shoes for a teenager. Your daddy’s timeless kind of interaction. I think you enjoy going to have to send you some money, kiddo.” the time so much more because you know how Thomas, now 19, laughed at the memory. precious it is.”

Contacted in Mérida, Mexico, where he was stayLooking back, he realizes how much time his ing with family as a part of his gap year before grandparents must have put (continued on page 32) heading off to Africa for training as a safari tour

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NYC HOLIDAY Kelly “Kitty” McNeill, Isabella, Claire and Jack “Poppy” McNeill (from left) went shopping on 5th Avenue as part of their grand holiday tradition. (continued from page 30) into planning the itiner-

ary – each moment accounted for, with activities and spaces for leisure, taking advantage of every moment for maximum fun.

“They usually plan things six months ahead and have everything lined up, so when we get to the city everything is orchestrated in such a way that you have time between every event that you attend,” he said.

But the experience went beyond the travel aspect, he said. “It’s not even about travel; it’s about spending time with your grandparents, by yourself. You learn so much more about them. You learn some things you wouldn’t learn when you’re with your parents. You kind of understand your parents more, too, because you realize your grandparents were the parents of one of your parents.”

After Thomas’ first trip, it was the girls’ turn.

Isabella, Jeff’s daughter, and Claire, Brad’s daughter, are around the same age, and even though Claire spends much of the school year in their second home in Telluride, they are together every chance they get – so they were delighted to share the trip.

The highlight of the girls’ first trip at age 6 and 7 was the American Girl doll store on Rockefeller Plaza.

“It seemed like six hours we spent in there,” marveled Jack. “They had a glorious time. They would not turn loose of the dolls – at the restaurant, at the theater, wherever they went.”

Their dolls were front and center no matter the transportation – the horse taxi, the tricycle taxi, the regular taxi.

Isabella is now 18, and Claire is 17. A couple of years ago, they traveled together with their grandparents again. It was a much different New York for them as teenagers. “It was no more American Dolls, I guarantee it,” said Kelly. “It was Tiffany’s and Victoria’s Secret.”

Their taste in food, however, was less exclusive.

They were especially fascinated by the street food.

A big draw, since they liked to sleep until noon and hit the ground running, was the Famous Amos hot dog stand in front of their hotel.

Next it was Bradcito’s turn – Brad, Jr.’s nickname, because of his half-Mexican heritage, is a diminutive form of Brad.

“His strong interest was the Museum of Natural History,” recalled Kelly. “He wanted to see the dinosaur bones.”

Brad is now 16, and normally it would have been time for another trip – but Jack had a hip replacement surgery, and so the trip was postponed for April.

“Bradcito’s very smart; he’s never made anything but an A,” bragged his grandmother. “He’s very intelligent and extremely kind and conscientious. He’ll probably be leading us around – I guarantee he’ll be researching everything he wants to do.”

Looking on down the road, little Jack, his

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 32

grandpa’s namesake, is now 8 and awaiting his first trip; and a brand-new baby girl, Amelia, presents a big question mark.

“Jack will be 85 in December, and I’m 81, so there may come a time when our kids won’t let us take the kids traveling,” said Kelly.

But Jack reminded her of their 99-year-old friend who’s still traveling, and still going strong.

So they’ll just keep going as long as they can.

Their advice to other grandparents: Don’t just say you’re going to do it. Make a plan, and actually follow through on it.

“The memories are priceless,” said Kelly. “You can’t go to Target and buy memories; you either have them or you don’t. They all giggle about it, and we have pictures and conversations. Things come up in conversation that spark a note – and no, they don’t forget anything. You can ask them a question, and they can tell you more than Jack and I have told you. We were busy keeping them from getting run over or falling off the curb or being snatched by somebody, and they were just enjoying the dazzling things around them.

“Memories are so important, and they have to be created; they don’t just fall out of the sky,” said Kelly. “You have to create the memory and whatever builds the relationship, and then years down the road, when they are our age, they will still remember what they did, who they were with, and what it was like – and I think that has great value.”

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 33

The Junior League of Houston

FOOD

by Courtney Cook, contributing writer

Cooking Buzz Book-club Christmas banquet Cooking Buzz is produced in partnership with the Junior League of Houston, a women’s charitable and education organization founded in 1925.

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go all out for all holidays, but Christmas holds a special place in my heart. My mother has always hosted friends and family in a cheerful home for the holidays, and I love carrying on that tradition. December feels magical. I even have a miniature food-themed tree in my kitchen.

One highlight every December is our book club’s Christmas party, where we take a break from reading and have a celebratory dinner with an ornament exchange. I love to try new recipes, and my book club friends are the perfect (willing) guinea pigs.

The Baked Artichoke Brie Spread from Peace Meals is warm and decadent, delicious on freshly sliced French bread, toast points or mini bell peppers. I’ve also made Artichoke Squares from The Star of Texas Cookbook – not the prettiest appetizer, but it doesn’t matter, as that is usually the first dish to be emptied.

Cheese Pockets from The Star of Texas Cookbook are another crowd favorite. There is something therapeutic about making these, and they freeze well. I set up a cooking assembly line and catch up on Netflix or Hallmark movies at the same time.

While I make a new recipe each year, I usually am asked to make French Onion Bread Pudding from Peace Meals. This recipe is easy to put together but feels like elegant comfort food. Between Junior League of Houston cookbooks, Pinterest and Instagram, I am never short on ideas!

Baked Artichoke Brie Spread From Peace Meals 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 1 cup mayonnaise 2 Tablespoons chopped green onions 1½ teaspoons minced fresh oregano ½ teaspoon coarse salt ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper 12 ounces marinated artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped 9 ounces Brie cheese, rind removed and cut into small pieces Crackers or sliced baguette

HOLIDAY APPS This warm Baked Artichoke Brie Spread from Peace Meals is a good choice for a holidayparty appetizer. Spread it on French bread or toast points, or enjoy with mini bell peppers.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a 1quart ovenproof serving dish. Mix together the cream cheese, mayonnaise, green onions, oregano, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Fold in the artichokes and Brie. Place the mixture in the prepared dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbly. Serve warm with the crackers or sliced fresh bread.

Artichoke Squares From The Star of Texas Cookbook 2 jars (6 ounces each) marinated artichokes 1 small onion, chopped 1 small clove garlic, chopped 2 Tablespoons butter 4 eggs ¼ cup bread crumbs Dash of Tabasco ¼ teaspoon oregano Salt and pepper to taste 2 cups shredded cheddar or parmesan cheese Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Drain juice from 1 of the jars of artichokes into a skillet. Discard the juice from the second jar. Chop artichokes and set aside. Sauté onion and garlic in butter in skillet until tender. Beat eggs. Add bread crumbs, seasonings, onion mixture and cheese.

Stir in artichokes and mix well. Bake in an ungreased 8-inch square pan for 30 minutes. Cut into squares and serve hot.

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Cheese Pockets From The Star of Texas Cookbook 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese 5 eggs, beaten 8 ounces Parmesan cheese 1 pound phyllo pastry 2 cups butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together cream cheese, eggs and Parmesan cheese. Place sheet of phyllo on work surface and brush with butter. Lay another sheet on top and brush with butter. Repeat so that there are 4 sheets. Cut into 3-inch squares. Put 1 teaspoon filling on pastry square. Fold into a pocket and seal the edges with melted butter. Repeat the process with remaining phyllo. Bake for 15 minutes and serve. These freeze well. Brush with melted butter before freezing. Bake frozen for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Makes 100-120 pockets.

French Onion Bread Pudding From Peace Meals 4 Tablespoons butter, divided 2½ pounds medium yellow onions, thinly sliced 2 large portobello mushroom caps, diced 1 loaf French bread, torn into pieces 1½ cups shredded Gruyere cheese 1½ cups beef broth ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9- by 13-inch baking dish and set aside. Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 30 to 40 minutes. Add the mushrooms and the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat. Line the bottom of the prepared baking dish with a thick layer of the bread (there may be some bread left over).

Top with half of the onion-mushroom mixture and half of the Gruyere. Repeat the onion and cheese layers. Pour the beef broth evenly over the dish and top with the Parmesan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is bubbly and browned. Serves 8.

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DINING

Chef’s Corner

Mark Schmidt

Find out about your favorite chefs in our Chef’s Corner column. This month, restaurant writer Dai Huynh interviews chef Mark Schmidt.

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Kirsten Gilliam

by Dai Huynh, staff writer

ooks push the limits during the holidays to impress friends and relatives, grilling and braising meats they likely would not the rest of the year. However, when temperatures dip, the urge for wild-game dishes surges.

Executive chef Mark Schmidt sees an uptick in demand for wild game during the holidays at the Rainbow Lodge (2011 Ella Blvd.). In the century-old log cabin overlooking the verdant woods along White Oak Bayou, the 58-year-old Texas native effortlessly combines his European roots with seasonal ingredients and wild game.

Here, he shares his no-fail tips on grilling quail and buffalo steaks, along with roasting duck for the holidays.

Ten years ago, you added fried Texas quail with bourbon-bacon gravy. Now, it’s a Rainbow classic, along with the wild-game mixed grill, which includes grilled quail. At home, how should we cook quail?

You can find quail at the Central Market. They carry quail from Lockhart, which is what we use.

They come in packs of four and are semi-boneless, so they’re great for grilling or pan-frying. They cook pretty fast, and the key with quail is to not overcook it. It’s a game bird, so it can be ever so slightly pink. That way, it’s nice and moist.

They’re easy to prep. Use your favorite marinade or spice rub to season the birds, or you simply can rub them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, with garlic and a splash of Worcestershire. No matter how you season them, just make sure that the grill is hot, and the grate is cleaned and oiled. This is important.

Now, put the birds on the grill for two minutes, then turn them 45 degrees and cook for another minute. Repeat on the other side. Because they’re semi-boneless, they’ll lay flat, making them great for grilling. People think of grilling in the summer, but when the weather cools down, that’s the time for wood-grilled meats.

We’re fans of duck, but like so many home cooks, we’re intimidated by a whole duck. Any suggestions?

Try duck breasts; they’re easy. The secret is to first cook them in a cast-iron skillet over the

stove, skin side down.

Over low-medium heat, slowly let the fat in the skin render. Let the skin get crispy, then flip them over. Now, put them in the oven at about 375-400 degrees and roast the duck until medium rare. As for seasonings, you can use a little salt and pepper before you cook them.

That’s it, or if you like, add a little chili powder.

Your preference, too, is to use a cast-iron skillet to grill beef, buffalo and bison steaks. Why cast iron?

It holds heat better than aluminum, so you get a better sear. Also, take your steaks out of the refrigerator 45 minutes to an hour before MARK SCHMIDT Executive chef Mark Schmidt puts a modern twist on wildyou grill them, so they game dishes at the Rainbow Lodge. can reach room tempergo-to when I want thin, crispy pizza. It’s my ature. If you cook the steaks right out of the favorite thin-crust pizza in town. refrigerator, you’ll get cooked steaks on the outWhat about Indian/English curries, something side that are cold inside. Not what you want. you were exposed to back as a youngster in the ’60s?

You fell in love with food as a young boy, learning It’s not a London pub, but it has “London” in to cook perfect omelets with your Merchant Marine the name. It’s called London Sizzler (6690 uncle while visiting your mother’s family in England Southwest Freeway), and it has the kind of four months out of the year until you turned 18.

British-style curries that remind me of the curAlso, this is your second stint at the Rainbow Lodge. ries I grew up eating as a kid. The vindaloo is You left for a few years to open the English pubreally good. They don’t always have it, but I inspired Blackbird and Henry in Austin. So, we can always get the goat biryani if they do. confidently ask you this: Where do you go for English food?

Editor’s note: Buzz dining columnist Dai Huynh There is the Red Lion British Pub (2316 S. is a James Beard food-journalism award winner and Shepherd Drive). That’s a good English pub. I longtime Houston-based restaurant writer. go there when I get a craving for fish and chips.

That’s my go-to for fish and chips. And you always have to have a pint of good English ale Need a holiday recipe? See thebuzzmagazines.com while you’re there. Now, right across the street for chef Mark Schmidt’s recipe for Fried Quail with is an Irish pub, called Kenneally’s (2111 S. Bourbon Bacon Gravy.

Shepherd Dr.); been there forever. That’s my

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WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 37

SPORTS

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by Todd Freed, staff writer

Wayne Donnelly

SportzBuzz I

n truly dominant fashion, the St. Agnes Academy Tigers ran away from the field to capture the TAPPS 6A Girls State Cross Country Championship. With five of the eight top finishers, the Tigers finished first by a spectacular 71-point margin. The win also marks the largest margin of victory in TAPPS’ largest classification since back in 1991.

“We talked since August about running as a pack, and we’ve been working on that strategy all season,” said Tigers cross country coach Kristi Robbins. “We ran in a number of really tough races this season against great schools in all levels, so competing at state wasn’t intimidating in the least for our girls.”

Leading the pack of finishers for St. Agnes was senior Jackie Cruz, who finished first in 12:08 over the two-mile course to win the individual state championship. Following Cruz for St. Agnes were Camille Napier (4th), Sara Price (5th), Emily Heinz (6th) and Amelie Born (8th). In addition, Grace Wolfe finished 14th overall.

“Jackie ran out fast and took the lead. She ran a great race,” said Robbins. “Then, to have a 40second spread between your top five runners is pretty tough to beat. I’m so proud of all of them.”

The St. Thomas Eagles ran a tremendous race while finishing a strong second place in the TAPPS 6A Boys State Cross Country Meet. “I was very proud of the way our team came together towards the end of the season,” said Eagles cross country coach Nathan Labus. “We’ve been running on a lot of muddy courses all season, but once we got to dry surfaces at district and state, the guys went out and performed really well.”

In the state meet, junior Blazek Skucius led the Eagles with a 10th-place finish overall.

Skucius was followed by Travis Enochs, Nicholas Chandler, Joseph Romero and Isaiah Garza. For the team, the second-place finish was even more impressive considering that the Eagles’ top runner, Juan Vasquez, missed the entire season with a torn labrum.

“Juan would have been at least top ten or maybe even top three at the state meet, which would have been enough of a point swing for us to win a state championship,” said Labus. “It’s unfortunate, but Juan’s been extremely supportive all season and

RECORD BREAKER St. Pius X quarterback Grant Gunnell proudly raises the game ball after making Texas high school football history. Gunnell broke the state’s all-time record for most career touchdown passes.

still a big part of our success. The exciting thing is that all five of our top finishers from state will return next year, so we should be in great position to bring back a state championship.”

The Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart field hockey team made school history by winning the TAPPS 6A State Field Hockey Championship.

With its 6-1 victory over All Saints Episcopal School in the state final, Duchesne Academy won its first-ever state championship in a team sport.

“The entire Duchesne community is so proud of this team,” said head coach Jenna Allen. “The girls played with heart and hustle. They worked so hard the entire season.”

Duchesne was led by several returning players, including forward Carol Longo, who was named the state final MVP. Longo, who’s been playing field hockey at Duchesne Academy since middle school, scored a lofty 22 goals this season, ranking her third in goals scored in TAPPS field hockey. Defensively, junior Sarita Arsham led the team in saves, while other top playmakers included junior midfielders Ariel Schumacher and CeeCee Van Pelt.

Schumacher has already committed to play Division 1 field hockey at Lafayette College.

It was a monumental night at St. Pius X

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High School, as Panthers senior quarterback Grant Gunnell set the all-time Texas high school football record for most career touchdown passes. In the second quarter of the Panthers’ 55-14 victory over San Antonio Antonian, Gunnell connected on his 185th career touchdown pass, breaking the mark held

by Refugio High School’s Travis Quintanilla.

“It was extremely special for Grant to break that kind of record in front of our community,” said St. Pius X athletic director Jason Kimble.

Despite needing six touchdown passes to break the record in his final regular-season home game, Gunnell set the mark even before intermission with a touchdown strike to wide receiver Kaleb Ducros. “We called a timeout right after the record-setting pass, and our head coach gave him the game ball,” said Kimble. “We put it up on the video board, and Grant’s parents then came out to take photos. It was a tremendous moment.”

Editor’s note: Todd Freed is the Emmy Awardwinning co-host and producer of the KUBE SportsZone, which airs Saturday and Sunday at 6 p.m. on Channel 57-KUBE. To submit high school sports news for possible inclusion in SportzBuzz, please email todd@thebuzzmagazines.com.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 39

SPORTS

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by Angie Frederickson, staff writer

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

The stars of halftime Southwest Football League cheerleaders (top photo) yell “Go S-F-L!” to celebrate their halftime performance at Rice University after practicing for it for two months. The cheerleaders are (top row, from left) coach Elizabeth Naggar, Avery Robertson, Marinne Miller, Juliette McLaughlin, Madeline Spielman, Quinn Morgenroth, Audrey Bui, Sloane Smith, coach Sandy Smith, Caroline Fajkus, Sophie Polacek, coach Kelly Bui, coach Julie Gibson and coach Mallory Rissmiller; (second row, from left): coach Michelle Young, coach Susie Tannery, Jenna Bayne, Elizabeth Bucy, Maddie Rossitto, Lainey Burrow, Rory Colgin, Brooklyn Conte, Teresa Pinkston, Laney Grace Blackburn, Taylor Vondenstein, Carly Cooper, Abigail Schellinger, Chloe Lo and Reese Morgenroth; (third row, from left): SFL cheer director Denise Clark, coach Margaret Pinkston, Jordan Young, Samantha Alleyne, Fiona Duncan, Lauren Young, Macyn Tannery, Eva Pastore, Allie Barker, Ella Gibson, Hayley Naggar, Zoe Clark, Samantha Chavez, Sydney Spielman, Elizabeth Burke, coach Lauren Burke and coach Jody Martin; (bottom row, from left): Brielle Mathe, Elle Pursley, Payton Spielman, Sasha Payne, Meg Dellinger, Emma Hamilton, Taylor Martin, Stella Rowell, Lauren Herr, Lilly Rissmiller, Sophie DeWalch, Lauren Martin, Hannah Summers, Adell Anderson, Ava Munro and coach Cricket DeWalch.

Just like coach SFL players (middle photo) sport mustaches at coach Staton Childers’ annual “mustache practice.” The Junior Aggies wore mustaches, just like their coach’s, and had a fun practice with games, candy and prizes. In addition to coaching, Staton is also known for the distinctive mustache he has had for years. His wife, Kathryn, documents the event each year and plans to give Coach a mustache-photo book when he retires. The Aggies are (top row, from left) Nathaniel Allen, Yahya Mir, Elijah Malone, Parker Dewett, Childers, Jackson Adams, Grant Berger, Wyatt Childers and Odie Winn; (bottom row, from left): William Carter, Morgan Tannery, Philip Khalil, Julian Slaton, Andrew Oswald, Lucas Wang and Chase Bedortha.

See you on the court Pin Oak Middle School’s eighth-grade volleyball team (bottom photo) placed third in the silver bracket at the Bellaire Volleyball Middle School tournament. The girls played hard in a pool of 32 middle school teams, and Vivian Chaney was named most valuable player. Many of the players have been together for five years, and they are all looking forward to trying out for Bellaire High School’s team next year. The teammates are (top row, from left) Kate Brandt, Greta Clement, Alex Moore, Madison Motes, Mia Artega, Mary Sophia Dewhurst, Kinsey Schwartje, Paulina Hernandez, Ashley Anderson and coach Phyllis Fredericks; (bottom row, from left): Victoria Watts and Vivian Chaney.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 40

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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Update on dog allergy A few years ago, I wrote about whether there really was such a thing as a hypoallergenic dog. The answer was “sort of.” Breeds claimed to be hypoallergenic, like a Bichon or Poodle, produce just as much dog allergen per square inch of body-surface area as Golden Retrievers. But Goldens are bigger than Bichons, so one Bichon produces less allergen than one Golden.

Also, Bichons and Poodles shed a lot less than Goldens, so the dog allergen stays on the dog, and doesn’t get spread all over the house.

What if you are allergic to your dog? It’s best not to have the pet you’re allergic to, but dogs become part of the family, and it can be hard to part with them. Allergy shots work great for dog allergy, if your allergist is following the latest Practice Parameters for Allergen Immunotherapy.

Unfortunately, that’s a big “if.” Most allergists only test for one dog allergen, either Acetone Precipitated (AP) dog, or dog epithelium. AP dog is great because it has about 50 times more of the most important dog allergen than dog epithelium has. But using it alone isn’t good enough. AP dog doesn’t have any of the minor dog allergens. That’s why we test for and treat for both AP dog and dog epithelium (that’s also why we test for and treat for both cat hair and cat pelt, but that’s a subject for another day). I can’t tell you how many patients we have seen where their previous allergist told them, “You’re not allergic to dog,” and then find out they’re just allergic to the other dog allergen.

Sometimes, the patient who has allergy symptoms around the dog really isn’t allergic to dog at all. Dogs go outside to walk and do their business, and their fur is really good at trapping pollen grains and mold spores and

bringing them inside. And mostly-inside dogs who use the same soft bed usually share that bed with lots and lots of dust mites. Dust mites aren’t picky; they don’t mind eating shed human skin or dog dander. Dust mite-avoidance tips should be applied to the dog’s bed, too; wash the bed covering in hot water once a week and prevent the humidity from getting too high where the dog sleeps.

If possible, keep your bedroom free of pets. If that’s not possible, then at least keep the dog out of your bed. And if in spite of the avoidance measures listed above you are still having allergy symptoms when around your dog, then it’s time to make an appointment to see us.

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 180, Houston, Texas 77004, 713.522.9911, www.allergyclinic.com, *Operating as Houston Allergy and Asthma Clinic

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 41

PUBLISHED AUTHOR Ava Yu, an eighth grader at The Emery/Weiner School, wrote a novel about three sisters traveling to an alternate world of magic and adventure.

KIDS

by Ava Yu, age 13

Buzz Kidz W

Reading and writing fuel each other

riting a book, from my personal experience, is no easy feat. It took three years for me to successfully publish a book, an achievement that makes me proud.

I started writing my novel, Out of This World, when I was 9. My interest in writing, which started with books, began earlier. Reading relaxed me. I sucked up story after story, like a vacuum. Eventually I realized I had to let the words back out ... in a slightly different form. It’s a little like breathing: You can’t inhale your whole life and never let anything out, nor can you exhale your whole life without fuel to keep your ideas and thoughts moving.

Often, after finishing a book I was reading, I’d run to the computer and start typing. That provided stress release, and I laugh when I remember those times: I’d have a bunch of documents

open, full of different storylines.

The idea for Out of This World grew from some of the story concepts I had created. I talked about my ideas with my friends at recess and our discussions gave me further inspiration. After organizing my ideas, I decided to combine them into one story.

At first, with no real structure, the plot did not make much sense. There was a ton of work to do before the first draft took shape!

I didn’t let that deter me. I wanted to share my stories with the world, so I persisted, and after countless hours of writing on my own and then writing under the guidance of my mentor Mark Price, and after thousands of edits and re-edits, it was finally ready.

The book is about three sisters traveling to an alternate world full of magic, adventures, and challenges.

Olivia is a bookworm and loves music. Zoe is outgoing

and loves to swim. Margaret is shy and loves art.

Before the book went to press, I decided to donate the proceeds to MD Anderson Cancer Center. This was important for me because I would now be able to help others through my stories. I chose MD Anderson because I am also interested in medicine, and cancer affects many people.

After publishing this novel, available online on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, I have the confidence to further pursue my writing dreams, and I’m ready for my next literary challenge.

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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Who is she?

Every woman has a story to tell as unique as herself. As CEO of The Woman’s Hospital of Texas, I lead a team of professionals who hear fascinating stories from patients every day. Despite their differences, a common thread runs through these stories – today’s woman is stretched so thin caring for others that her own healthcare becomes a lower priority. Do you know a woman like this? ARE you a woman like this?

The Woman’s Hospital of Texas conducted an online Google survey in September 2018. More than 1,500 Houstonians responded to questions about their health habits, including how they prioritize their own healthcare versus that of a family member. The findings indicate that in most households, the woman is the main healthcare decision maker.

She is responsible for scheduling doctors’ appointments for her family and making sure her loved ones are well taken care of. She puts her family’s health before her own and often does not attend to her own health needs. Thirty-eight percent of respondents report having a physical exam only sporadically.

For Nina P., Yale University graduate, mom, wife, yogi and regional manager for the Valentino fashion brand, self-care had to become a priority.

From normal physical changes after pregnancy, like a now-resolved umbilical hernia and diastasis recti (a gap in the abdominal muscles), to varicose veins and a bad back aggravated by heavy travel, Nina’s busy schedule became harder to maintain. “I’ve had to take care of myself,” Nina explains.

“My body has definitely changed over the past 5-10 years as I have approached 40. I’ve started to notice little things that affect me and had to

take care of myself through yoga and weekly workouts.”

At The Woman’s Hospital of Texas, we want to help women recognize the importance of self-care, as Nina does.

With women-focused care, support groups, encouragement and education, we are dedicated to the care of all women – and the premise that all women fully participate in their own care.

Highlighting women and the pressures they feel, “Who Is She?” is answered easily. She is everyone. The woman facing breast cancer. The one experiencing infertility. The expectant mom told that her pregnancy isn’t as perfect as she believed. All these women need care, support and understanding. At The Woman’s Hospital of Texas, our woman-first philosophy treats physical health, as well as mental and emotional health.

We cannot do this alone. I invite you to join my personal calling, along with The Woman’s Hospital of Texas, to speak up and share knowledge, expertise and perhaps most importantly, your own personal stories.

Ashley McClellan, CEO, The Woman’s Hospital of Texas, 7600 Fannin, Houston, Texas 77054, 713.790.1234, www.womanshospital.com

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 43

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My life adventures began in a foster home, the SPCA and now the family home where the master of the canned-food container resides. I experience wonderful things from the “cannedfu master,” such as how to lap-ride in a wheelchair, snuggling, heavenly ear massages, leash walking, hide ‘n’ seek, and not to drink from....

Primarily I live indoors, and it’s a special day when a lizard trespasses inside.

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Russell’s dead Just kidding. I’m not dead, but at 55 I’m closer than ever. And clients have started asking. Once they sign new Wills, they stop worrying about their health and start worrying about mine. Their questions are blunt: What if you die before I do? When do you retire? Does my family have to use you? Does anyone younger work with you?

I needle my clients about their plans. It’s poetic justice that they question mine. It’s also reasonable. They’re not planning their future alone, but also those of a spouse, children, and often grandchildren.

Every lawyer grapples with these questions. Here are my answers.

First, no one is tethered to a particular attorney. Families are always free to take their probate business elsewhere, and we make it easy. We give each client their signed, original Wills, and enclose the notary record and signing ceremony with an electronic copy. We archive all, and can forward to another lawyer on request.

Any lawyer licensed in the State of Texas may appear for your executor in probate court. Any one that’s board certified is competent to handle an estate of $1 million or more. That’s my arbitrary rule of thumb when generation-skipping transfer tax exemptions start to matter for normal people.

For a list of attorneys near you that are board certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law, visit www.tbls.org.

Second, most families want to return to the lawyer that drafted Mom or Dad’s Will. Again, we make it easy. Our phone number and website will long survive me, and are valuable enough that someone will pay to keep them in service for decades. The lesser part of that value is the systems

developed on my watch. The greater part is the people that hire me. They have money, but love their family more, and are a joy to work with. They make this a dream job.

Third, we want you to keep returning, generation after generation, and we’re ready. My associate, Christina Schuler, is 20 years younger than I am. Last I asked, she enjoyed her job and was studying for board certification. She’ll be around long after I’m gone. We both contribute to the Texas Probate System. Together, we’re building practice and management systems that will attract clients and legal talent for some time to come.

Finally, I’ve planned for retirement. When it’s time, I’m gone. When Russell’s really dead, you’ll be fine.

We write wills and go to probate court. We offer no-obligation initial interviews for estate planning and administration, so it costs nothing to hear specific recommendations that suit your needs. 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

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 45

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Mediterranean diet class

Holidays after divorce

Looking for a fresh start in the new year? Discover how good food works for you.

The Clever Kitchen and UTHealth School of Public Health have partnered to offer “Outsmarting Disease and the Mediterranean Diet Foundations Class.” This hands-on cooking course explores the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, which promotes fresh and seasonal plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, seeds, nuts, olive oil, herbs and spices, as well as fish and poultry, while limiting red meats and sugar.

According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, primary prevention is the most effective and affordable method to prevent chronic disease, and dietary interventions positively impact health outcomes across the lifespan. Research has shown that patients who follow the Mediterranean diet have a 30 percent reduction in death for all diseases.

Attendees will join registered dietician-nutritionist Pam Fullenweider in a fun setting as they create healthy, delicious meals in the UTHealth School of Public Health’s state-of-the-art Nourish kitchen, using herbs and vegetables from the campus holistic garden. By the end of the course, participants will have the understanding to build their own meal plans. Additional courses will be available throughout the month to take participants beyond the basics of the Mediterranean diet, and into specific cooking techniques and seasonal recipes.

For more information, visit thecleverkitchen.com/stories; to register, visit thecleverkitchen.com and click “Classes.”

UT Health, 1200 Pressler Street, Houston, Texas 77030, 713.898.2308, Pam Fullenweider MS, RDN, pam@thecleverkitchen.com, thecleverkitchen.com

The holidays are upon us, and as family lawyers that often means an increase in frantic phone calls and emails regarding a parent’s periods of possession and rights as a parent during this stressful time. Your best bet to keep the holidays calm for your children is to make certain you review your court order to know what periods of possession you are entitled to early enough to plan travel and activities to not intrude on the other parent’s possession time. If you find that you need your co-parent to work with you to give you more time or different dates, make certain to make those agreements as early as possible. Remember, though, that any “side” agreement, if not in a court order, is not truly enforceable, so it requires trust to make plans around those types of agreements. Most importantly, keep all disagreements regarding the holidays out of the hearing and vision of the children.

K. Nicole Voyles is a partner at Tindall England PC, a family-law firm specializing in divorce, child-custody modifications, grandparent access, paternity, adoption and premarital and postmarital agreements. K. Nicole Voyles has been recognized as a Super Lawyer by Texas Super Lawyers 2014-18.

Tindall England PC, K. Nicole Voyles, Partner, Board Certified in Family Law, 515 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 500, Houston, Texas 77027, 713.622.8733, www.tindallengland.com

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 46

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West U/Southside real estate

Clearer toenails are here

Through three quarters of 2018, single-family home sales in Southside Place and West U are setting a 10year record for number of sales. Average sales price ($1,421,607) and median sales price ($1,300,000) yearto-date are both 4 percent over their respective 2017 levels. Good news: our home prices are increasing. Bad news: tax valuations can be expected to follow.

Sales distribution remains concentrated, with 62.5 percent in the $1-2 million strata. Only 24 percent of sales were below $1 million. On the upper end, 14 percent of sales were above $2 million, with four sales over $4 million.

New-construction statistics indicate 23 new-construction sales through the first three quarters of 2018. As of Oct. 31, 28 new-construction homes were still on the market, with nine priced $1-2 million, 15 priced $2-3 million and four over $4 million.

Our market continues to tighten, with inventory supply down to 3.4 months vs. 3.9 months this time last year. This is indicative of a seller’s market, six months of inventory being considered a balanced market.

Mortgage interest rates have risen about 1 percent from last year, making homes a bit less affordable. However, attractive jumbo loans (over $1 million) are still available to borrowers with good credit and 15-20 percent cash to invest in their home. (All statistics per MLS.) Feel free to call me if you have a real estate question or would like to chat about buying or selling a home.

George Sutherland, Greenwood King Properties, 832.435.7942, george@greenwoodking.com

Our feet, they take us places. They allow us to exercise and play, and, yet for many, they can be a source of embarrassment. We avoid talking about it. We hide it as best we can. Many people suffer from fungus toenails and are embarrassed to wear open shoes. More than 25 million Americans suffer from toenail fungus. This infection can cause nails to yellow and thicken and, over time, become brittle. Fungal infections can be caught in common places, like the gym, swimming pools and nail salons. Fungal infections may cause pain and are often embarrassing.

Current treatment options for nail infection include oral medications, topical treatments and laser therapy. Laser treatments are effective in eliminating nail infections and restoring clear nails.

Genesis Plus Laser Therapy is a fast and effective treatment that takes the doctor about 20 minutes to perform. Laser treatment requires no anesthesia or numbing medications, with no down time following the procedure. Laser therapy targets the nail plate to get directly to the fungus. After about 3-6 months, healthy new nail growth can be seen, so by the time warm weather and sandal season approach, you don’t need to hide your toes. Don’t be embarrassed any longer. There is effective treatment available. Call today for your appointment.

As Dr. Weinstein likes to say, “Remember to always be kind to your feet, as they will take you through the most important journey ever … your life!”

Bellaire Podiatry/Nail Laser Center of Houston, Dr. Barry P. Weinstein, 4909 Bissonnet, Suite 120, Bellaire, Texas 77401, 713.721.5500, www.BarryWeinsteinDPM.com

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Priscilla Dickson

NEIGHBORS

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by Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld, staff writer

Buzz About Town Fathers and flashlights The 12th annual Fathers & Flashlights urban campout on the fields surrounding West University Elementary School was a success, with 515 kids, 247 dads and 247 volunteer moms. The event raised $127,000 for West U parks, plus in-kind donations of more than $11,000. Co-chairs were the Moorhead, Williams and Woody families. Participants pitched tents and enjoyed a live exotic-animal

Cartwright Jr., Cathy and Joe Jankovic, Jo and Jim Furr, Klinka and John Lollar, Francey Pengra and Ed Allday, Lisa and Mike O’Leary, Kristen and Johnny Perry, Drs. Ellin and Robert Grossman, Mimi and Rob Kerr, Marie Fay Evnochides, Judy and Jim Nicklos, Pamela and Rod Skaufel, Gail and Mike Hendryx, Jose Oti and Chef Brandi Key.

Launching literacy Daniel Ortiz

Lauren DeFrehn Photography

Adonye Jaja Photography

Married in the mountains

Haley Berkman and Adam Karren got married at the Aspen Meadows surrounded by golden fall foliage, mountain views and family and friends. They chose Aspen because Haley has spent time there with family since she was a child, and it was where Adam proposed during a snowy hike. Aspen has become their favorite place. The Meadows has Bauhaus-inspired modernist architecture, sculpture and earthworks, which was special for Haley, as she’s passionate about art; she’s a curatorial assistant at the Menil Collection. Adam is a manager at PwC. After a beautiful Oct. 6 ceremony led by Rabbi David Lyon, who’s known both Haley and Adam since they were children, the couple danced the night away with family and friends. The newlyweds honeymooned in Australia and Fiji.

experience, DJs, an airbrush artist, catch-andrelease fishing, a T-shirt tie-dye station and a movie. Pictured (from left) are Charlie Kazdal, Lawler Booth, Kate Allen, Charlotte Allen and Logan Goodman. Fathers & Flashlights and the Park Lovers’ Ball, on Feb. 2, 2019, are the largest of the Friends of West University Place Parks Fund fundraising events. See westuparks.org.

Proceeds to Parkinsons More than 350 gathered at The Astorian for the 2018 Annual Awards Gala benefitting the Houston Area Parkinson Society, which raised more than over $300,000. Event chairs Anne and Stuart Coco (pictured) and young professional chairs Calia and Peter Pettigrew planned an evening filled with music, dinner and dancing. HAPS’ new award is named in honor of President George H. W. Bush, who signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law.

Proceeds fund services for families affected by Parkinson’s. Shern-Min Chow, KHOU-TV anchor/reporter, served as emcee. Guests included Joe and Hala Ahmad, Gloria Hui and Joiner

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 48

More than 600 supporters of the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation’s Ladies for Literacy Guild gathered for the third annual Power of Literacy Luncheon at The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston. The (continued on page 50)

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 49

Ngo-Phan; (in middle) Natalie Butler; (bottom row, from left) John Butler, Jerry Ashcroft, Veljko Lekovic and Mikail Wijesekera.

(continued from page 48) luncheon theme was Let’s

Launch Literacy, with giant balloons as decorations. Tables were decorated with flowers and a cut-out of former First Lady Barbara Bush holding balloons. The keynote speaker was former First Lady Laura Bush in a conversation moderated by Pierce Bush. Emcee was KPRC-TV anchor Rachel McNeill, and speakers were Dr. Tom Pace, senior pastor at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, luncheon chair Cathy Cleary, and Stephanie Tsuru, president of the Ladies for Literacy Guild. The event raised more than $350,000. Pictured (previous page, from left) are Allison Schulze, Lisa Jakel and Emily George.

Adam Nyholt

University. The Scouts enjoyed archery, a flagretirement ceremony and over 800 beignets cooked by Troop 266. Pictured (from left) are Surya Ramakrishnan (Troop 266), Andrew Tan (266), Evan Zhao (Troop 55), Hutch Coward (55) and Robert Jordan (266).

Ready, set, match Lamar Varsity Tennis won the HISD District Team Tennis Tournament, beating Bellaire High School 10-1 and Westside High School 10-3 (after winning against other district teams) and advancing to the Bi-District Tournament in Cy Fair. There, they beat Cy Falls 10-7, earning a spot in the Area Tournament, where they fell to Seven Lakes. Pictured are varsity team members (top row, from left) Pat Partridge, Joshua Rassin, Melvin Zarghooni, Alex Koong; (middle row, from left) Darby Vrba, Victoria Gray, Sophia Rassin, Ruthie Molzan, Kaleigh Bickley, Samantha Jones, Brooke

When Lacey Feldman and Todd Wallerstein wed at The Post Oak Hotel Oct. 20, the aisle was surrounded with candles and flowers in pinks and white, and the chuppah was decorated with flowers. Todd and (continued on page 52) Ilse Rassin

Kelli Durham Photography

Lucky No. 7

Tied the knot

Sarah Klutts and Douglas Woodruff started dating during their senior year of high school at Bellaire and continued through college at Ole Miss. The night of their seven-year anniversary, they went to dinner to celebrate and then went back to Douglas’ parents’ house in Bellaire for a “party” his mom was having. Upon arrival, Sarah saw the entire backyard was lit up in lights, and Douglas got down on one knee and proposed in front of their families and friends.

In the same spot where Douglas had asked Sarah to be his girlfriend, he asked her to be his wife.

The wedding will take place in Austin on June 1 at Omni Barton Creek. Parents J.D. and Linda Woodruff and David and Michele Klutts are thrilled to celebrate with them.

Campout fun More than 300 Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and their leaders attended the Webelos Woods Campout, hosted by Troop 266 of West WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 50

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Wilson Parish

al friend Mark Reichek, and their first date was at State of Grace, which is where Todd later proposed. During the wedding, Lacey honored her late father Nason Feldman with a photo of him on her bouquet, and part of his favorite tie was sewn inside her wedding dress. Todd honored his late father Joel Wallerstein with his initials (JW) engraved inside the collar of his tuxedo. Their parents, Sheri Feldman and Randee Kaplan and stepfather Jay Kaplan, were thrilled to celebrate. Guests tossed rose petals before the newlyweds headed to honeymoon in Maui.

Daniel Ortiz

Shooting for roots

Clays and Flurry competition, followed by a Cajun lunch. Attendees included Lou Waters, Joe Cleary, Doug Bauer, John T. Young, Jr., Duncan Underwood, Andrew McCullough, George Britton and Louis Girard. Pictured are (from left) Mike Barrett, John Cutler, Wyatt Bilby and Aiden Bilby.

Ballet ball Supporters of the Houston Ballet gathered at the new Balthazar Cellars to kick off the 2019 Houston Ballet Ball, themed Heroes, Gods and Stars. Ball co-chairs Kelley and Stephen Lubanko and Leigh and Reggie Smith and the Ballet Ball Committee welcomed nearly 75 guests. Décor provided a sneak peek of the Grecian and mythical inspiration to come at the Ballet Ball, and party goers enjoyed Greekinspired hors d’ouerves. Guests were encouraged to donate wine in support of the Ballet Ball Wine Cellar. Pictured at the kick-off event are (from left) Jo Furr, Jennifer Gravenor and Ishwaria and Vivek Subbiah. The Ballet Ball will take place Feb. 9 at the Houston Ballet Center for Dance. See houstonballet.org.

Sold-out success The 10th Annual Roots & Shoots Sporting Clays Classic benefiting Trees For Houston took place at the Greater Houston Gun Club. About 140 Trees for Houston advocates gathered to raise $121,000 in support of the organization’s mission to plant and protect trees. Guests enjoyed breakfast tacos before the Sporting

A crowd of 600 gathered to celebrate Dress for Success Houston’s 20th year of empowering women in the Houston community. The soldout Rendezvous at The Revaire event raised a record-breaking $741,050 for the nonprofit.

Event chairs were Steve and Linda Webster and Cathy and Joe Cleary. Eric Blumrosen, Dress

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 52

for Success Houston board chair, honored DFS co-founder and president Nancy Levicki with remarks and a tribute video. Guests dined on gourmet cuisine; the auction and lounge area Daniel Ortiz

(continued from page 50) Lacey met through mutu-

were big hits. Supporters included Blumrosen and wife Tali (pictured), Niloufar Molavi and husband Amir, Kim Hartz and husband Ted, Ben Patton and wife Mary, Gary Reaves and wife Rebekah, Wendy Daboval and husband Dan, Courtney Hopson, Carla Kneipp and Kristi Chickering.

Be seen in Buzz About Town. Send your high-res photos and community news to info@thebuzzmagazines.com.

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NEIGHBORS

by Andria Frankfort, staff writer

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Back Porch

Holiday cocktails

C

heers to the holidays! In this merriest of months, we thought it would be fun to focus on some festive holiday cocktails.

We asked a few neighbors to share their favorites – their gifts to us all. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy New Year!

Stuart Rosenberg knows fun. He’s always got a smile and a story. And he says that the best holiday cocktail he’s had is the Grass Harbor.

“Present Company in Montrose created this cocktail for an event I attended recently, and it was delicious,” the communications pro says.

“It’s an updated version of a Grasshopper – very holiday and fun, thanks to its green color. I’m definitely planning on making this one.”

Grass Harbor 3 scoops cookies and cream gelato (the bar uses Teo Gelato) 1 ounce Titanium Tequila Blanco ¼ ounce Fernet Branca Menta (an Italian herbal liqueur) ¼ ounce crème de menthe Chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreos), crushed Mint leaves, for garnish Combine all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Pour into glasses, and garnish with mint leaves and crushed sandwich cookies.

On the not-so-sweet side of tequila, Jeri Amundsen and Arthur Feldman, both attorneys (she’s retired) like a good margarita, and they often find that the ones they make at home are the best. Sometimes Jeri and Arthur top the margaritas with a little Topo Chico to dilute the tartness of the lime. In cooler months, they suggest using mescal, tequila’s smoky cousin, in place of tequila.

Perfect Martinis Salt 1½ ounces white tequila (Arthur likes Herradura Blanco) 1 ounce fresh lime juice ½ ounce Cointreau (orange liqueur) Fresh jalapeño, sliced

Wet the rim of an Old Fashioned glass with tequila, and dip it in salt to coat the rim.

Shake tequila, lime juice and Cointreau in a MIX UP SOME CHEER Unique and seasonal cocktails make the holidays even shaker and pour over ice more merry. in the salted glass. Float of the glasses with champagne and top with a a jalapeño slice or two on top and serve. sprig of thyme in each glass. Makes 4.

Rachel Volz, owner of the catering company And finally, the quintessential, old-school A Fare Extraordinaire, is a consummate enterholiday drink: Brandy Freeze. This one comes tainer and spends all of her time doing just that, from Kelli Bunch, owner of KB Table, who says, unless she’s planning over-the-top birthday par“My family and I love making these tasty ‘boozy ties for her children, who are 3 and 6. Rachel milkshakes’ during the holiday. You can almost says her favorite thing about her favorite holiday always guarantee to find a backup of pre-made cocktail is “the festive touch of the sugared rim.” brandy freezes in my freezer during the holidays.”

She adds, “You can elevate any glass of Prosecco with the blackberry syrup and a sprig of thyme, which is a classic holiday herb.”

Brandy Freeze 1 gallon Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream (Blue Bell is key!)

Blackberry Thyme Sparkler ½ cup good quality brandy 1 cup blackberries, plus 8 more for serving ⅛ teaspoon allspice 1 cup water Fresh nutmeg, for garnish 1 cup sugar Cinnamon sticks, for garnish Butter for glass rims Gold baking sugar Let the ice cream sit on the counter for about 4 ounces gin 15 minutes. Pour the brandy into the bottom of 1 bottle of champagne a high-powered blender (Kelli uses a Vitamix).

4 long sprigs of thyme Add the ice cream in two separate batches. “I strongly suggest using an accelerator/tamper tool In a small saucepan, bring blackberries, water to allow the thick ingredients to incorporate and sugar to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until the blackberries are soft and without damaging the blender,” Kelli says. Add the simple syrup has turned a bring pink/reddish the allspice and blend until smooth. Serve in color. Remove from heat, drain blackberries and chilled glasses garnished with freshly ground allow to cool. This step can be done well in nutmeg and a cinnamon stick. (These can be advance, as the syrup will keep for at least a made 2-3 weeks in advance and kept frozen in week in the refrigerator. an airtight container. To serve after freezing, let To prep the champagne flutes, use butter to sit out for 30 minutes before reblending to adhere the sugar on the rims. Place the tiniest achieve original consistency.) amount between your fingers and rub just around the rim of the glass before dipping the glass into the gold baking sugar. Add 1 ounce of For more on food and entertaining from Andria gin to each champagne glass. Drop two blackFrankfort, see her weekly blog, Back Porch Table, berries in each glass, followed by 2 ounces of at thebuzzmagazines.com. Every Friday, you’ll find homemade blackberry simple syrup. Fill the rest new recipes for weekend cooking (or anytime).

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2018 54

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