The West University Buzz - December 2021

Ann Hill

The Best Cookies Shazam!

Land Speed Champ Adulting 101 Chef’s Corner: Rene Hidalgo Travel: Park City Christmas

St. Nicholas Day Boots

by Andria Frankfort

Charlie Brown and Rainbows Simplify the Holidays – Or Not What To Do This Month Houston, TX Permit No. 2047 PAID US Postage PRSRT STD

That Elf on that Shelf

EDITOR’S NOTE Where will this holiday season lead you?

Are you going bold and bright or simple and calm? I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I am all for Team Simple and Calm this year. This Halloween, for the first time, we were that house – we left a bowl of candy and vanished. (We abandoned trick-or-treaters to watch the Astros play in the World Series at a sports bar. Maybe we should have stayed home.) To avoid becoming the neighborhood Grinch, I’m fantasizing about baking beautiful holiday cookies or taking on the sweet tradition of leaving a boot with goodies for the little ones, just like the impressive and creative neighbors featured this month. But my kitchen is closed, my closet is a mess, and I can’t find my boots.

Luckily, my sweatpants are handy. I do hope that your holidays shine bright – boldly or not – in whatever way creates comfort, peace, and joy for you and your loved ones. joni@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 Editorial Assistant Design Manager Staff Writers

Contributing Writer Account Managers

Joni Hoffman Michael Hoffman Cheryl Laird Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld Jenna Mazzoccoli John Duboise Tracy L. Barnett Sharon Albert Brier Cindy Burnett Andria Frankfort Angie Frederickson Todd Freed Cindy Gabriel Cathy Gordon Michelle Groogan Dai Huynh Annie Blaylock McQueen Jennifer Oakley Pooja Salhotra Cheryl Ursin John Harris Andrea Blitzer Leslie Little Jo Rogers

On our cover: Ann Hill and her family learned from German friends about the St. Nicholas Day tradition of filling boots with Christmas surprises.

Cover photo by Jack Opatrny, jackophoto.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 © 2021 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 2021 4

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 5

MAILBAG

Your letters, thoughts, opinions We have Happy [In response to A Tail-Wagging Hero: An author's salute to Happy the dog,

by Cathy Gordon, September 2021.] The Houston Fire Museum is thrilled to have the opportunity to sell Kate McCormick’s Happy in our gift shop.

The Museum is charged with preserving the rich history of Houston’s diverse fire service. Happy the dog is part of this history and portrays not only his courage but that of the firefighters who battled the fire.

The 131-year-old building that is home to the Houston Fire Museum is fondly called “Old 7’s.” It is currently closed for preservation. A temporary office and gift shop is open to the public at 3219 Milam. The books are available at this location.

Kate Ryther, Executive Director, Houston Fire Museum Editor’s note: If any of you missed Cathy Gordon’s article about the stray dog named Happy who saved his new family’s life in Southside Place during a house fire back in 1931, you can find it on thebuzzmagazines.com. Happy landed on the front of the newspaper back then, along with Capone and Charles Lindbergh, and the fire sparked a movement that led to the creation of the Southside Place Volunteer Fire Department. Author Kate McCormick researched and told the tale in a children’s picture book called “Happy: The True Story of a Stray Dog Who Became a Hero.”

Game on Jennifer Oakley wrote a fantastic article about chess [War Over the Board: Young chess players face off, April 2021]. Thanks to this article, some of your readers have reached out to me asking for chess advice or lessons.

CarMichael [Kyle] is still taking online lessons with me and still learning new openings and strategies. I believe he is still having fun and improving.

Now that the severity of the pandemic has lessened, I am back to teaching some in-person and some online classes. The pandemic taught me that there is an online world to explore in addition to over the board. Via cloudbased communication and other apps, I am amazed that people can still stay connected through chess as well as other hobbies and endeavors.

Even though the chess buzz is not quite as strong as before, I feel it is still a growing pastime. I appreciate Jennifer mentioning me in this article, and I'm grateful to be part of the chess scene in West University and abroad.

John Kristan Hendrick

Looking back I remember all of them [restaurants shared in Restaurant Memories: A look back at Houston’s dining past, by Russell Weil, November 2014, and More Restaurant Memories: Stories from Houston’s dining past, by Russell Weil, December 2016]! Mr. [Sonny] Look and my Dad were old buddies. I took my girlfriend to the location inside 610, and Sonny himself opened the car door for Mary and called us both by our first names! As well as good WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 6

food, his restaurants had really great ambience.

Michael Motl Editor’s note: See thebuzzmagazines.com to read these popular stories. If you have restaurant memories, we’d love to share them with our readers. Email info@thebuzzmagazines.com.

Correction I had a home in Whitefish, MT, for 25 years. You did a good job hitting the highlights in the story [Travel Buzz: Montana moments, by Tracy L. Barnett, November 2021].

However, Glacier National Park has 1,538 square miles of wilderness ... not acres.

Your article had me reliving some of the good times I had there like the folks in your article.

Ken Kramer Editor’s note: Ken, thank you for your close read. We appreciate you letting us know about this error. We’ve corrected it on the online version. Glad this story brought back positive Montana memories for you!

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.

• Have a fun Spring Break story to share.

• Know a Buzzworthy neighbor to feature.

• Have an interesting hobby.

• Have a funny or sweet parenting story.

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

The new kids on your block.

Now treating adults too.

Pediatrics Alana Kennedy-Nasser, MD Kelly Hodges, MD Alexander Injac, MD** Charlotte Zuniga, MD**

Memorial** 7700 San Felipe, Ste 470 Bellaire 6750 West Loop S, Ste 465

Internal Medicine/Pulmonary Dean Nasser, MD

832.431.4336 www.purepediatrics.com

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 7

NEIGHBORS

by Cindy Gabriel, staff writer

Christmastime is Here Bringing Peanuts and personal rainbows

H

ave you noticed your reaction when a rainbow suddenly appears? At first, it feels personal, like it’s just for you. But then you become aware you’re not the only one seeing it.

I had that same sensation while sifting through some boxes in the garage that should have been dealt with decades ago. It felt a bit like rummaging through a time capsule. Remember canceled checks? Mixed in with 1990s checks was a Peanuts cartoon. Short of carbon dating, I’m guessing it was published about 1994. But it could have been written last week.

The strip opens with Linus, Charlie Brown’s blanket-hugging sidekick, saying, “I think the world is much better today than it was, say, five years ago.” Charlie Brown could not believe the audacity of such a statement. “How can you say that? Don’t you ever read the papers? Don’t you ever listen to the radio? How can you stand there and tell me the world is a better place?” Linus’s answer to the outraged Charlie Brown was soft and simple. “Because,” he says, “I’m in it now.”

It’s not as narcissistic as it sounds. Charles Schulz, the cartoon's creator, would have given that line to Lucy if it were intended to be selfgratulatory. Linus is a complex character, thoughtful, wise, and intelligent for his 5 years.

He serves as the house philosopher and theologian. It takes guts to live and act from your own sense of personal integrity – thus, the blanket.

Charles Schulz’s own admitted insecurities lent authenticity to his characters. That’s why his strips still run today as Classic Peanuts, though nothing new has been written since he died in 2000. It makes me want to grab a grandchild and sit down with A Charlie Brown Christmas this year for its 56th annual run. It’s hard to believe this Emmy- and Peabody-winning work of art first aired in 1965. It’s even harder to believe it almost didn’t.

The story of how this all came to be is best told in a 50th-anniversary piece in The Washington Post called “The Gospel Truth Behind Why Tonight’s A Charlie Brown Christmas Endures.” It includes an epiphany moment by Lee Mendelson, a producer and director, while riding in a cab over the Golden Gate Bridge. A bit of now-iconic Peanuts music

IT’S A MIRACLE, CHARLIE BROWN A rare rainbow appearance in the usually dry Texas Hill Country and an old Peanuts cartoon bring a little holiday perspective.

called “Cast Your Fate to the Wind” by conveniently located San Francisco jazz musician Vince Guaraldi came over the cab radio. Later, Guaraldi played what would become the Linus and Lucy Theme over the phone to Mendelson before he forgot it, as if he’d caught it in the air.

Mendelson had a documentary about Charles Schulz in mind with Guaraldi’s music, and fate intervened. On April 9, 1965, Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang appeared on the cover of Time Magazine. This produced a phone call from Coca-Cola, who wanted to sponsor a Christmas special with Peanuts characters.

Schulz wrote the entire script in a matter of weeks. On a low budget in a short timeframe, the first animated Peanuts special was completed in six months. After watching it together for the first time, its own creators admitted to a Charlie Brown moment of self-doubt. “We thought we’d ruined Charlie Brown,” said Mendelson. Peanuts had been running in newspapers since 1950. They worried that they had given voices and motion to a daily strip that had already been embedded in readers’ minds in their own individual ways.

After viewing it, the network thought it was

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 8

slow and boring. It was a cartoon without a laugh track (Schulz walked out of the room when it was suggested), a strange mix of Christmas with jazz music, actual children – most untrained in acting – as the voices of the characters (for budget reasons), and a recitation from the Bible. The network reluctantly put it on the air, for one time only, because it was already published in TV Guide.

But the audience had the last word. On Dec. 9, 1965, over 15 million households tuned in for A Charlie Brown Christmas. A pleasantly shocked network agreed to run it again between Christmas and the New Year, then immediately commissioned a series of Peanuts specials by the same crew. This year, it airs on PBS Dec. 19 at 6:30 p.m. Central.

The story of how A Charlie Brown Christmas came to be is a Christmas story of its own. It snuck up on the world through a few individuals acting from their own instincts, breaking rules and norms. Their inner Linuses were at work. It took guts, some blanket grabbing, and a rainbow moment or two. And like that cartoon in the garage, it could have been written yesterday.

Prevention versus Intervention

Specific Learning Disability (SLD) in Reading and/or Dyslexia • Phonological Awareness • Sound-symbol Association • Reading Comprehension • Reading Fluency PreK 4 - 2nd Grade Tammy Spencer, Founder • The Code Academy 3642 University Blvd., Suite 101, West University Place, TX 77005 832.767.0915 • dyslexiahouston.org "If they can't learn the way we teach, we teach the way they learn" - Ignacio Estrada WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 9

NEIGHBORS

by Andria Frankfort, staff writer

Adulting 101 “These are your fuse boxes”

L

earning to be a grown-up can be tricky.

That’s why Bellaire dad David Shebay is organizing “adulting” classes for his 16year-old daughter Sophia and her friends.

“I was thinking of all the things I needed to teach my daughter. And I wanted other people – someone in a uniform – to be saying them because there’s only so much teenagers can hear from their parents,” he said. “I thought if I got a group together, it would make it more fun.”

So he got to work. The PricewaterhouseCoopers consultant assembled a curriculum of sorts for a series of classes that teach everything from car mechanics to cooking to how to use power tools.

“We’re basically just doing some things they need to know but aren’t learning from any other place.”

David hosted the first class over the summer; his wife Elizabeth brought in Shipley’s doughnuts so the girls would hang around afterward.

“We’ve basically got two years to space them out,” he says, referring to the time before his daughter and her friends go off to college.

This summer’s class, held at Feld Park, focused on car safety. Timely, because the six girls who attended were 15 and 16, about to start driving. “We had a Bellaire police officer come and tell them what to do when you get pulled over, what to do if you’re in a wreck, how to be safe while you’re pumping gas.

“And we had John’s son from John’s Mechanic Shop [John Georgalos at John’s Xpress Lube] come. We take our cars to him. They knew us, and we asked if he would mind coming by for 20 minutes. He showed the girls: These are the fluid levels, these are your fuse boxes, this is how you change a tire, what you should ask your mechanic when you take your car in. He told them if you hear a thum thum thum sound, this is what that means. If you hear a whee whee whee sound, this is what that means.

“This is all stuff you don’t get in driver’s ed.”

The girls brought their cars to the park so they could see where things were in their own cars. “When the guy was showing them where to put the jack, the girls were on the ground underneath the car. They were leaning in around the engine when he was showing them the fluid levels. The expectation is they don’t

PRACTICAL SKILLS Learning to be an adult is hard, but Jenna Pedley, Anna Guckenburg, Sophia Shebay, Sarah Jones, and Lily Delahoussaye are getting a head start, thanks to Sophia's dad, David Shebay.

know what is going on, but we want to change that for these girls.”

David’s daughter Sophia, a student at St. Agnes Academy, says the most important lesson she learned in the class was what to do when you’re getting pulled over on the highway. “You don’t pull over halfway over a flyover,” she remembers. “Wait until you’re ready to exit, so you can do it safely.”

The inspiration for David to dream up the adulting classes was bigger than making sure his daughter knew how to change a flat tire. “I had lymphoma last year,” he explains, “and I went through chemo, and that made me do a gutcheck. And I said, hey, if there’s stuff on my list, let’s go ahead and get it done.”

Besides teaching his daughter and younger teenaged sons Jonathan and Eli important life lessons, David’s list included getting his pilot’s license and reaching some goals at work. David was diagnosed in June of 2020 and completed six

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 10

months of treatment. His cancer is in remission.

Over the next two years, “a local chef will come teach them a signature dish, something they can make at college when they want to entertain,” David says. “We’ll have another one for home repair, like how to fix a leaky faucet, how to turn the electricity off if you need to.

There will be one about safety with Crime Stoppers that will teach them things like don’t drink something you didn’t open.

“One class will be on finance – how to balance a checkbook, this is what you do with credit cards, this is why you start putting money away in a 401(k) as soon as you can. Another one where they’ll learn how to shoot a gun from a licensed instructor. And another on power tools, how to use a drill, how to use a saw.

“This is a chance to say all the things we all want to talk about but we don’t get to,” David says. “A chance for the girls to learn to be self-sufficient, and to do things they need to do in life.”

St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School PK-4 - 8th Grade, National Blue Ribbon School, STEM Certified Religious and Advanced Academics School Day Tours - Wednesdays at 9:30am through Dec. 1 To RSVP - Email Renee McCurry at rmccurry@svdp-edu.org APPLICATION DEADLINE - JANUARY 12, 2O22 For more info and to apply online visit saintvincentschool.org 6802 Buffalo Speedway, Houston, TX 77025

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 11

NEIGHBORS

by Andria Frankfort, staff writer

The St. Nicholas Day Boot Bringing a German tradition to Houston

E

jackophoto.com

veryone loves the jolly man in the red suit who magically brings gifts to children every Christmas. But there’s more to Santa Claus than a beard and a sleigh.

Beyond “St. Nick,” who swoops in every year from the North Pole, St. Nicholas was the actual man behind the merriment. A kind and generous fourth-century bishop, he would give to the poor, sometimes dropping a few coins into their shoes, and was especially generous with children. Centuries ago, people around the world, especially in Europe, celebrated St. Nicholas Day Dec. 6 and St. Nicholas Day Eve Dec. 5 with small gifts given in the spirit of the benevolent bishop, St. Nicholas (St. Nikolaus, if you’re in Germany).

With the advent of modern Christianity, that tradition evolved into giving gifts on Christmas morning (or Christmas Eve). Still, some hold on to the custom of remembering the saint behind Santa Claus – St. Nicholas – and his penchant for leaving little surprises in people’s boots.

W

hen Sara Jane and Bob Wilson’s daughters, Maggie and Charlotte, were 7 and 3, respectively (they are now 26 and 22), the family moved to Munich, Germany, so Bob, an attorney, could open a Fulbright & Jaworski office there (the firm is now Norton Rose Fulbright).

December 5 came around, and the moms in Charlotte’s preschool class told Sara Jane about the German tradition of putting children’s boots on the front porch and filling them with goodies for children to find on St. Nikolaus Day. The other mothers wanted to be sure Charlotte didn’t come to school Dec. 6 and feel left out of the other children’s excitement.

“They told me to fill the girls’ boots with candies, nuts, fruits, and a little gift, and leave them on the porch,” Sara Jane says. “It was a very simple thing in Munich, but something very much a part of their traditions. If you were going to pick something up, [the boot tradition] was it.

When we came home to Houston, I think my girls kind of expected it.” So began a long-lived and cherished custom in the Wilson home.

The Wilsons’ youngest daughter, Charlotte, was

BRINGING GERMANY TO HOUSTON Sara Jane Wilson learned about the St. Nicholas Day boot tradition while living in Germany. Years later, she continues filling friends’ children's boots with Christmas surprises to wake up to on St. Nicholas Day, Dec. 6.

in first grade when they moved home to Houston.

Ann and Greg Hill’s oldest daughter, Lindsey, was in the same class at St. John’s. The school assigned the Hills as the Wilsons’ host family (maybe that had something to do with the fact that Greg also is a lawyer), and a friendship was born.

Along with playdates and family dinners, the Wilsons shared their St. Nicholas boot tradition with the Hills. “Lindsey was 6 or 7,” Ann says.

“We didn’t even have Katherine yet.”

(Katherine is the Hills’ youngest daughter, now a freshman at St. John’s; Sarah, their middle

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 12

daughter, is 20).

“It’s a little like the Elf on the Shelf thing,” Ann says, comparing the St. Nicholas boot to the little elf doll said to be Santa’s scout, which kids search for each morning. “We were not great Elf on the Shelfers. Seems like [the elf] would stay in the same place for a long time.”

Part of the beauty of the St. Nicholas boot is that it requires only one night of parental planning. That, and, at least for the Hills, maybe a little help from friends.

“Maggie babysat,” Sara (continued on page 14)

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 13

jackophoto.com

jackophoto.com

CELEBRATING ST. NICK Since they were little, Ann Hill’s children have woken up to boots filled with Christmas surprises on St. Nicholas Day, Dec. 6. Along with their parents, Maggie and Charlotte Wilson (pictured, from left, as kids in Germany) brought the tradition to Houston after living in Germany for five years. (continued from page 12) Jane says of her older

daughter, “and she and I would go around to those kids’ houses in secret [on St. Nicholas Day Eve].” The Hills’ was one of those houses. “We would jump out of the car, put snowy stuff down, then fill the boots.”

Sara Jane added snow and glittery tinsel to the boots, to replicate a snowy German Christmas and provide a little sparkle. She and Maggie would call ahead to ask moms to leave their children’s boots on the porch.

“The moms always knew who did it,” Sara Jane says, “but I don’t know if the kids ever found out who it was.”

Ann remembers: “At the beginning, and for a long time, my kids were like, ‘How does this happen?’ It was magical.”

Sara Jane says Katherine Hill is the only one

she still stuffs a boot for. “She’s the last one,” Sara Jane says.

“My girls look forward to it,” Ann says. “I’ve sent a couple of St. Nicholas boxes to Lindsey at school, and last year was kind of fun because all three were home. We could put all the boots out again. It’s become one of the things that kicks off the holidays for my kids.”

Through the years, Ann and Sara Jane have collaborated on their girls’ boots. Gifts have matured with the girls, starting with lip glosses and evolving into an ornament for the tree or – Hill girls: do not read this part – a tea towel that says, “Call Mom.” The year Charlotte was just about to turn 16, she found a car key in her boot. From her childhood in Germany, Charlotte remembers the boot tradition being “a really big deal and a lot

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 14

of fun,” and she says everyone there participated.

Still, the car key was the perfect illustration that “everything’s bigger in Texas.”

Along with the gifts, the boots have grown.

“When they were little, it was easy to discern whose boot was whose,” Ann says. “Now they’re pretty much all the same size. One year we had to stuff an over-the-knee boot, that was the only boot Sarah brought home from college. It was hard to see what was in there, but we filled it.

I’ll probably keep trying to do it through college, but if Lindsey moves away and gets a job, I don’t know what will happen to St. Nicholas. We haven’t gotten there, and we’ll have to see.”

However the tradition morphs in the future, it’s already added a lot of extra cheer and twinkle – and snowy boot memories – to the Wilson and Hill children’s holidays.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 15

EVENTS Magical Winter Lights

by Jenna Mazzoccoli, staff writer

Holiday Happenings What to do in December

T

here are lots of holiday festivities to choose from in December. Here are some fun happenings around town that will put you in a merry state of mind.

Santa’s Wonderland 18898 Hwy. 6, College Station Nov. 12-Dec. 30 Santa’s Wonderland, a seasonal amusement park in College Station, celebrates a Texassized Christmas. Walk through the expansive property of Santa’s Wonderland and see the Trail of Lights, meet Santa, race down the toboggan chute, enjoy live music, or take a carriage ride.

Admission: $45-50 The ICE at Discovery Green Discovery Green, downtown Houston Nov. 12-Jan. 30 The Ice at Discovery Green is a favorite holiday activity. The ice rink is brought in once a year and set up in Discovery Green park. This year, tickets must be purchased in advance to minimize overcrowding.

Admission: $8-15 Galaxy Lights Space Center Houston, Clear Lake Nov. 12-Jan. 2, 6-10 p.m.

Galaxy Lights at Space Center Houston is an interactive and technologically advanced light display. The attraction takes you on a walking path through different parts of the Space Center, both inside and out. Allocate at least 90 minutes to walk through the entire light display and exhibit.

Admission: $20-25 The Polar Express Train Ride Galveston Railroad Museum Nov. 18-Dec. 23 This immersive Christmas experience at the Galveston Railroad Museum is like the movie The Polar Express. Come dressed in pajamas for a theatrical journey with singing chefs, a dancing conductor, and, of course, Santa Claus.

Admission: $35-75

MERRY AND BRIGHT Magical Winter Lights returns this year, but at a new venue, Houston Raceway Park.

The Alley Theatre presents A Christmas Carol Alley Theatre’s Hubbard Theatre, 615 Texas Ave. Nov. 19-Dec. 29 This family-friendly production retells Charles Dickens’ classic story following Ebenezer Scrooge’s journey with the three ghostly spirits who visit him on Christmas Eve. All guests are required to wear a mask for the show and must show a negative Covid test within 72 hours prior to the performance or proof of vaccination.

Admission: $27-121 Magical Winter Lights Houston Raceway Park, Baytown Nov. 19-Jan. 2 Magical Winter Lights is returning this year at a new venue, Houston Raceway Park. Visitors can expect the entrance castle, dinosaur exhibits, Santa and Mrs. Claus meet and greet, Ice Sisters meet and greet, carnival rides, food, games, and music.

Admission: $17-80 Holiday in the Gardens 1 Hope Blvd., Galveston Nov. 20-Jan. 2 Holiday in the Gardens features several holiday attractions at one venue, from the Arctic Slide to 3D holiday films, train rides, and gardens decked out in 2 million lights. Get a picture with Santa or watch the Cirque Joyeux Holiday Show.

Admission: $18-40 Lightscape at Houston Botanic Garden 1 Botanic Lane Wednesdays-Sundays Nov. 20-Jan. 2, 5:45-11 p.m.; Additional dates: Dec. 20-21

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 16

Lightscape is new to the Houston Botanic Garden this year. Walk through at night and enjoy the magical light displays along the winding paths. Availability cannot be guaranteed at the door, so buying tickets in advance is advised.

Admission: $20-27 A.D. Players presents The Christmas Shoes George Theater, 5420 Westheimer Rd. Nov. 24-Dec. 23 The best-selling novel The Christmas Shoes is being adapted for the stage in this world-premiere holiday play about a young boy from a loving family who crosses paths with a workaholic lawyer and gives him a much-needed wake-up call. Masks are required. Some sections are socially distanced while others are at full capacity. Purchase tickets online in advance or at the box office.

Admission: $30-75 Christmas Train at Victory Camp 1407 Victory Lane, Alvin Nov. 26-Dec. 23 Every season, Victory Camp in Alvin, a kids’ camp and retreat center, transforms into a winter wonderland with a Christmas train. The train weaves through campgrounds, and families can catch a ride to view lights, decorations, gingerbread villages, penguin snow lands, and lifesize storybook illustrations.

Admission: $10-12 Houston Ballet presents The Nutcracker Wortham Center’s Brown Theater, 501 Texas Ave. Nov. 26-Dec. 24 Houston Ballet presents The Nutcracker. In this traditional holiday tale, (continued on page 18)

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 17

Memorial Park Conservancy

(continued from page 16) Clara and Drosselmeyer

travel together to the Land of the Sweets where the Sugar Plum Fairy is reunited with her Nutcracker prince and discovers a world of magic. Masks are required. Purchase tickets online in advance or at the box office.

Admission: $27-153 Holiday in the Park Dec. 2, 6-8:30 p.m.

Bellaire Town Square, 7008 S. Rice Ave. Enjoy music performances by local choirs, pictures with Santa, snow slides, and food. New this year is an ice-sculpting show.

Admission: Free Dickens on the Strand The Strand, Galveston Dec. 3-5 Experience the architecture, sights, and sounds of a Victorian holiday, and dress up for extra fun.

Interact with time-period performers, watch live entertainment, and shop from local vendors.

Admission: $10-15 Holiday Lights in Eastern Glades Clay Family Eastern Glades in Memorial Park Dec. 3-Jan. 3 Take a stroll through the Eastern Glades at Memorial Park and enjoy the lights on display every day of the holiday season after sundown.

On Dec. 3, Deck the Park will kick off Holiday Lights. This event will start at 4 p.m. with holiday activities and a preview of the lights at 6 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring picnic blankets for the screening of The Grinch at 7:30 p.m.

Admission: Free after Dec. 3; $10-15 for event Dec. 3 West U Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony Dec. 6, 6 p.m.

Friends Park, 3771 Rice Blvd.

The West U Parks and Recreation Department hosts its annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. Enjoy holiday music and a short ceremony to kick off the holiday season.

Admission: Free German Heritage Christmas Market Downtown Tomball, 200 Market St. Dec. 10-12 Visit downtown Tomball for this Christmas festival and market. There will be three stages of live music and an open-air market along with antiques shops in the Old Town area. The event on Saturday starts with a parade at 11 a.m., followed by the famous “tapping of the keg.” Finally, German exchange students living in Tomball will be received at the Willkommen ceremony.

Admission: Free Handel’s Messiah Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana St. Dec. 10, 8 p.m.; Dec. 11, 8 p.m.; Dec. 12, 2:30 p.m.

The holiday tradition of Handel’s Messiah

A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT The Holiday Lights in the Eastern Glades are new to Memorial Park this year.

returns to Jones Hall. The Houston Symphony, chorus, and guest soloists perform this beloved holiday classic. Masks are required. Some sections are socially distanced while others are at full capacity.

Purchase tickets online in advance or at the box office. Concert livestream video is also available.

Admission: $29-140 10th Annual Rudolph Run CityCentre, 800 Town and Country Blvd.

Dec. 11, 7:30 a.m.

Register for the Dasher 10k, Rudolph 5k, or Cupid 1k at CityCentre. Proceeds benefit Firefighters Helping Firefighters. Costumes are encouraged, and the best Christmas outfit will win a prize. Santa will be available for photo opps as he cheers on the runners.

Admission: $18-40 12th Annual Gingerbread Build-Off Levy Park, 3801 Eastside St. Dec. 11, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Architecture Center Houston will host the Gingerbread Build-Off at Levy Park.

Competitors will design and build edible masterpieces. The public is invited to attend and cheer on the teams. Santa will also be at the park watching the competition and greeting visitors.

Admission: Free; team registration is $200 Breakfast With Santa at the Aquarium 410 Bagby St., downtown Houston Dec. 11, 12, 18, 19, 22-24 Who knew Santa loves to swim? This downtown restaurant is surrounded by an enormous aquarium, where fish (and Santa) swim.

Admission: $40 and under

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 18

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Toyota Center Dec. 12, 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra will perform at the Toyota Center during their Winter Tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of their popular album Christmas Eve and Other Stories.

Admission: $50-80 Houston Symphony presents Very Merry POPS Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana St. Dec. 18, 2:30 and 8 p.m.; Dec. 18, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.

The Houston Symphony performs holiday classics like “Feliz Navidad,” “O Holy Night,” “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Masks are required.

Some sections are socially distanced while others are at full capacity. Purchase tickets online in advance or at the box office. Concert livestream video is also available.

Admission: $29-154 Santa Hustle San Luis Resort, Galveston Dec. 19, 6:45 a.m., 7 a.m., and 7:15 a.m.

The Santa Hustle may be the only race course where there are cookies and candy next to the water stations. Join thousands of other Santa runners across the country and across Houston in the Santa Hustle Galveston Kids Dash, Half Marathon, or 5k.

Admission: $10-65

MORE ONLINE See our events calendar at thebuzzmagazines.com for details, links, and more holiday events.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 19

forsythefotography.com

NEIGHBORS

by John Harris, contributing writer

Shazam! Land Speed Champ Daughter and dad race to records a record-breaking powerhouse.

“It’s a fun thing to do for fatherdaughter time,” says Caitlin, a Bellaire High School graduate who comes home often for the holidays from her Seattle home.

At Bonneville, salt covers 12 miles of densely packed ground on public land that’s ideal for racing. These daredevils shoot down what Gary describes as “the biggest parking lot you can imagine.”

He says temperatures are fairly hot in the low 90s but so dry that “by I BELIEVE I CAN FLY Gary Gray rebuilt a 2001 Honda Insight into Shazam, which afternoon, you feel raced to a new land speed record for its category last August. like your outer inal engine and only two seats from the factory. inch of flesh has been sucked dry, your lips are The Grays took Shazam through other courscracked and taste like salt, and your brain is on es, one in nearby Victoria and another in Ohio, overload from the intense brightness all day. until they felt ready for Bonneville, where Gary Other than that, quite nice!” had been part of another driver’s crew.

The name Shazam carries special meaning to There’s a hurry-up-and-wait process at Gary. Geologists use the term “to describe a latBonneville that requires patience, Gary and eral gradation from one kind of sediment to Caitlin say. Upon arrival, the Shazam crew gets another, like a limestone grading into a shale,” to work. This year’s crew consisted of the Grays, he says. “We use the shazam symbol, like I have crew chief Ron Kranz (who was best man at on the side of the car, to represent this change.

Gary and Mary Ann’s wedding on about the Everybody thinks it has to do with Flash or same date 39 years ago and who Caitlin calls Gomer Pyle, but it’s actually us just nerding out Uncle Ron), and Gary’s childhood friends Janet on geology.” and Tony Ogden of Washington state.

Perhaps it also represents the car’s transformaThey make sure the car is intact after its tow tion into a Speed Week champion. The Grays from Houston. Gary or Caitlin takes a test drive, entered Shazam in the “I” engine size class for and the crew usually fixes a loose bolt, a broken motors from 751 to 1,015 cubic centimeters. connection of some kind, a cracked window, or Shazam’s motor is 1,002 cc. The “GT” in the catother problem. About 6:30 the next morning, egory means it’s a production car, with the orig-

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 20

forsythefotography.com

T

he Gray family has a special gift this Christmas that won’t sit under their tree.

They received it last August, and it’s in the record books.

At Bonneville Salt Flats near the UtahNevada border, Gary Gray, 69, and daughter Caitlin, 37, took turns racing Shazam, their rebuilt 2001 Honda Insight, across a six-mile stretch during Bonneville Speed Week and into the land speed record books for their category.

First, Caitlin set a new record at 125.47 mph.

And a day later, Gary beat her record at 127.22 mph. The adventurers both surpassed the previous speed of 122.256 set in 2013.

That might sound less impressive than the vehicles that rocket near the 500-mph range at Bonneville. But it’s a big deal at Speed Week, one of the top land speed racing events, which draws about 650 people from around the world each year and about as many car entries. The Southern California Timing Association, which sanctions Speed Week, has about 700 categories for land speed, and the new record for the category of “I/GT” went to this little Bellaire ex-hybrid that could.

It’s a family project for Gary, his wife Mary Ann Beauchemin, Caitlin, a small crew of old friends, and a longer list of friends back home. Its roots lie in Gary’s boyhood fascination with his older brother’s hot rod magazines that blossomed into a lifelong interest in cars and then a thrilling retirement activity – one that required much preparation and patience.

“It can be horribly frustrating, or it can be exhilarating,” Gary says. “It’s pretty stressful, more stressful than I thought. If I were picking a retirement project to relieve stress in my life, this would not be it.”

But that’s how this research geologist, who retired from ExxonMobil and now teaches structural geology and seismic interpretation as an adjunct professor at Rice University, has spent the last eight years. Eight years of tearing the car apart in his Bellaire driveway, removing its hybrid section, adding a new computer, installing the driver’s roll cage (a steel structure to protect the driver if the car rolls), and adding other safety requirements. Eight years of turning an unassuming little blue and silver sedan into

Ron Kranz Dave Kommel

THE VICTORS Top left: Mary Ann Beauchemin (Gary’s wife and Caitlin’s mother), Gary, and Caitlin (from left) strike a victory pose at Bonneville. Top right: Caitlin is strapped in for safety. Bottom photo: Sunrise at Bonneville Speed Week finds Caitlin ready for Shazam’s next run.

they haul the car to the race line and wait behind five or six other cars, often for hours.

Mary Ann (who retired in 2020 as a longtime employee of the Bellaire Nature Discovery Center) makes sure everyone stays hydrated, keeps their gear in order, and often holds an umbrella over the driver before the start.

Then the driver gets ready, climbing into the car with helmet and safety gear. A horseshoeshaped neck brace buckles to the helmet to keep the driver’s head from moving. Two crew members buckle the driver into the seat. Around the driver’s head are blinders, two pieces of metal with foam that go on either side of the headrest

on the car seat.

“You can’t be claustrophobic and do this,” Caitlin says.

The driver warms up the car and revs it with a roaring rumble.

“This is where my heart starts beating faster because when you rev it, to me it sounds like an airplane taking off,” she says. After a final safety check and instructions, a race official stands in front of her car until the driver ahead finishes the course.

“That’s when I start meditating,” Caitlin says.

“For me, if I don’t get my adrenaline under control, I do body concentration and close my eyes” until

the official signals her to lower her helmet visor.

“At that moment, I take a deep breath and rev it three times, to 6,000 and then 8,000 rpms, and I let the clutch out and go. And then you’re flying,” she says. “And the entire time, you’re trying to stare off to the mountains in the distance because you drive straighter if you pick a point. And then it’s just pure joy.

“You’re going faster and faster, and you feel like you’re flying but on land. You have to keep listening to your car. First gear is really fast, second comes pretty quickly, and once you get to third or fourth at the two-mile mark, you really enjoy it. And then in your (continued on page 22)

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 21

forsythefotography.com

forsythefotography.com

forsythefotography.com

forsythefotography.com

forsythefotography.com

forsythefotography.com

EIGHT-YEAR PROJECT Top left: Shazam is parked proudly by its trophy. Top right: Gary Gray transformed Shazam from a hybrid to a full engine powerhouse. Middle: The driver’s view inside Shazam. Bottom left: Shazam shows its Texas colors with its license plate and bumper sticker. Bottom right: Shazam shows its long list of crew members and supporters. (continued from page 21) final mile, you have to

slow down, and that’s actually the really scary part for me” because the car starts to jerk from braking and downshifting.

But it’s also the gratifying part.

Gary was supposed to run first this time, but Caitlin drove first because she had a flight home the next night. Her speed exceeded the record, and she qualified to set a new record. (New speeds have to be backed up with another run the next morning. Cars are impounded overnight to keep crews from making any major changes and to make sure they meet Speed Week specifications.) A driver sets a record

when the average of the qualifying run and the backup run the next day exceed the current record. Caitlin’s second run was faster than her first, so her combined two-day average of 125.147 was the new record.

But then Dad got a turn.

Gary’s first run the morning of Aug. 10 was faster than Caitlin’s average, qualifying him to run again for another new record in the same class. The next morning, Gary did just that. His two-run average exceeded Caitlin’s.

Gary admits he “got some grief” for surpassing his daughter’s new record, “like I was being a mean father.” But there’s always another Speed

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 22

Week, and the Grays are eager to return.

“The car still has not performed at its maximum, so she will be driving again (next time) to see if she can beat my record,” Gary says, predicting Shazam can reach “well north of 130 mph” with the right conditions.

Caitlin is ready to resume what she calls their “unique family hobby,” too.

“As long as my dad is still having fun with fixing the car and working on the car, I think we’ll keep doing it,” she says. “The point is not just the racing. It’s that he gets to work on the car, and we get to do it together when I’m home. But as long as we’re enjoying it, I think we will.”

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 23

FOOD

by Andria Frankfort, staff writer

The Best Holiday Cookies lawellphoto.com

What to make and give this year

O

ur favorite Christmas-cookie testers are at it again. You might remember reading about friends Adele Bentsen and Kathryn Wilson in last December’s The Great Cookie Tin Bake-Off: Two friends and their Christmas quest. Adele and Kathryn shared their favorite Christmas-cookie recipes, all of which went through rigorous testing before they made the cut to give in tins to friends and family.

This year, Adele and Kathryn have been busy baking and updating their list of favorites. Like everyone else who loves to bake, they are excited about the release of five-time James Beard Award winner Dorie Greenspan’s highly anticipated cookbook, Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple. While their current favorite recipes aren’t straight out of Dorie’s newest book, they do hail from a couple of Baking with Dorie’s 13 cookbook predecessors. Instructions are clear and accessible for bakers on any level.

If you happen to be on the list to receive a cookie tin from Adele or Kathryn, lucky you! But if not, we’re still lucky, because the bakers have shared a few of what they consider to be the best Christmas cookies around. Happy baking!

Dorie Greenspan's World Peace Cookies From Dorie’s Cookies Kathryn says, “I loved using this cookie last year in cookie tins, sometimes in place of brownies for something chocolate. It is very chocolaty. It is easy to pull together and then have on hand in the freezer for quick slice and bakes.”

1¼ cups flour 1 ⁄3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 stick plus 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 ⁄3 cup packed light brown sugar ¼ cup sugar ½ teaspoon fleur del sel or ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips (no pieces larger than 1⁄3 inch), or a generous ¾ cups store-bought mini chocolate chips Sift the flour, cocoa, and baking soda together.

COOKIE CONNOISSEURS Kathryn Wilson and Adele Bentsen were featured in The Buzz last December for their meticulous vetting of Christmas cookie recipes. The friends include the very best in the Christmascookie tins they give to loved ones.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt, and vanilla extract, and beat for 2 minutes more.

Turn off the mixer. Pour in the dry ingredients, drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and your kitchen from flying flour, and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. Take a peek –

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 24

if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times more; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough – for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don't be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.

Turn the dough out onto (continued on page 26)

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 25

Andria Frankfort

INSPIRATION Dorie Greenspan's new cookbook, Baking with Dorie, has inspired countless bakers, including Kathryn Wilson and Adele Bentsen. (continued from page 24) a work surface, gather it

together, and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1½ inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you’ve frozen the dough, you needn’t defrost it before baking – let it warm just enough so that you can slice the log into rounds and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Using a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are ½-inch thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you’re cutting them – don’t be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes – they won’t look done, nor will they be firm, but that’s just the way they should be.

Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.

Dorie Greenspan’s Do-AlmostAnything Vanilla Cookie Dough From Dorie’s Cookies Adele says, “We love the Dorie Greenspan DoAlmost-Anything Vanilla Cookie Dough. It is a

great recipe for cut-out cookies or sandwich cookies filled with Biscoff. We like the spice blend addition [Christmas Spice Cookies]. The recipe makes lots of cookie dough. But you can freeze and pull out as needed!”

1 pound unsalted butter, cut into chunks, at room temperature 11⁄3 cups sugar 1 teaspoon fine sea salt 2 large egg whites, at room temperature 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract 4 cups flour Sanding sugar, for sprinkling (optional) Combine the butter, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer; beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes or until creamy. Stop once or twice to scrape down the bowl.

Reduce the speed to low and add the egg whites and then the vanilla extract; the dough may curdle, but it will smooth out once the flour is added.

On low speed, add the flour in 3 or 4 additions, beating only until it is almost incorporated before the next portion goes in. Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed.

At this point, the dough can be divided and flavored (see “Variations” below) and scooped or rolled out. To make plain cookies, divide the dough into quarters and shape each one into a disk.

Working with one disk at a time, place it between

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 26

2 sheets of parchment paper and roll out to a thickness of ¼ inch. Stack the disks with their parchment paper on a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 3 hours; or you can freeze them for 1 hour.

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.

Working with one rolled-out portion of dough at a time, peel away the parchment paper on both sides, then place the dough back on one of those sheets of paper.

Use the cookie cutter to cut out as many cookies as you can, spacing them about 1½ inches apart on the baking sheets and rerolling scraps as needed. Sprinkle with sanding sugar if desired.

Bake (upper and lower racks) for 19 to 21 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through or as soon as you see the cookies’ edges start to become golden.

Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Variations: To make about 24 White Chocolate and Poppy Seed Cookies, stir 1⁄3 cup chopped white chocolate bar or white chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon black poppy seeds into ¼ of the basic dough (before you roll it out). Roll to a ¼-inch-thick disk, chill, cut out, bake and cool as in the recipe above. Melt 1 ⁄3 cup white chocolate chips; spread it over the cooled cookies and then sprinkle with more poppy seeds. Let set before serving (continued on page 28)

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 27

Andria Frankfort

DECK THE TABLES The Christmas Spice version of Dorie Greenspan's Do-Almost-Anything Vanilla Cookies is holiday-worthy. (continued from page 26) or storing.

To make 20 Vanilla Polka Dots, use a small (2 teaspoons) scoop to create 20 level portions of dough, using one-quarter of the basic dough before it’s rolled out. Roll each portion into a ball, then dip it into a bowl containing about ½ cup pearl or Swedish sugar, and space the balls about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Wrap the bottom of a jam jar with plastic wrap; use it to flatten the balls a bit. Bake (middle rack) one sheet at a time for 20 to 22 minutes, rotating the sheet from front to back after 11 minutes. Cool the cookies as directed above.

To make about 20 Double-Ginger Crumb Cookies, stir together 1¼ teaspoons peeled, minced fresh ginger root and 1 teaspoon sugar in a small bowl. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring a few times, until the sugar melts into a syrup. Stir that mixture into ¼ of the basic dough recipe (before you roll it out). Roll out and chill as directed above. Make the topping: Combine ¾ cup flour, 1⁄3 cup sugar, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, and 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, in a bowl, using your fingertips to work the mixture into crumbs that hold together.

Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Cut out the cookies as directed above, then sprinkle a generous amount of the crumbly topping on each

one. (You will have leftover topping.) Bake (middle rack) one sheet at a time, for 21 to 23 minutes, rotating the sheet from front to back after 12 minutes. Cool as directed above.

To make about 18 Christmas Spice Cookies, combine ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, a pinch of ground cloves, and a pinch of ground allspice in a small bowl, then blend the mixture evenly into ¼ of the basic dough recipe (before you roll it out). Roll out, chill, and cut out as directed above, using a 2-inch snowflake-shaped cutter; sprinkle sanding sugar over each one, if desired, before baking (middle rack) one sheet at a time for 19 to 21 minutes, rotating the sheet from front to back after 10 minutes. Cool as directed above.

Biscoff Cookie Butter Filling From Dorie’s Cookies Kathryn says, “I love this filling. So much easier to use and spread than straight Biscoff [Cookie Butter] from a jar.” Kathryn and Adele like to use this as a filling to sandwich between two Do-AlmostAnything Vanilla Cookies. ½ cup Biscoff Cookie Butter 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature ½ teaspoon fine sea salt 1¼ cups confectioners sugar

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 28

1 Tablespoon milk, plus more if needed Beat together the Biscoff, butter, and salt until light. Add the sugar and as much milk as needed to make it a spreadable consistency.

New Year’s Eve Celebration Cupcakes Kathryn says, “This is a ridiculous recipe that could just as easily be made with a box of chocolate cake mix, meringue frosting of any kind, and some fun sprinkles! I had fun with it last year, but it isn’t for everyone!”

Cupcakes: 1 cup sugar 1 cup flour 1 Tablespoon cornstarch 6 Tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional) ¼ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 2 large eggs, at room temperature 6 Tablespoons vegetable oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons water Frosting: 2 large egg whites, at room temperature (continued on page 30) 1 cup sugar

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 29

Andria Frankfort

Andria Frankfort

Kathryn Wilson

Andria Frankfort

WHAT'S IN YOUR TIN? From top left, clockwise: Kathryn Wilson suggests filling Dorie Greenspan's Do-Almost-Anything Vanilla Cookies with a dreamy Biscoff Cookie Butter Filling; Dorie's World Peace Cookies are chocolate on top of chocolate; Kathryn Wilson's New Year's Eve Celebration Cupcakes are labor-intensive and festive; the White Chocolate and Poppy Seed version of Dorie's Do-Almost-Anything Vanilla Cookies is pretty and delicious.

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar 1 ⁄3 cup water 1 ⁄8 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Decorations: Gold or silver cupcake papers ½ to ¾ cup white chocolate 12 miniature ice cream cones White, silver, gold, and/or black sprinkles Gold or silver prism or luster powder Sparkler candles

(continued from page 28)

For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 cupcake or muffin tins with papers, and spray the papers with non-stick vegetable oil spray, if desired. Use silver or gold cupcake papers, if available.

Whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the eggs, oil, vanilla, and water, beating until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pans.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake cups; you'll pour a scant ¼ cup batter into each cup. A muffin scoop works well here.

Bake the cupcakes for about 25 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes in the middle of the pan comes out clean.

Remove the cupcakes from the oven. In about 5 minutes, or as soon as you can handle them, remove them from the pan, and place them on a rack to cool.

For the frosting: When the cupcakes are cool, make the frosting. Place the egg whites in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Beat until the egg whites are foamy and thick; they should mound in the bowl, without holding a peak. Set them aside while you prepare the sugar syrup.

Combine the sugar, cream of tartar, water, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently; the sugar should be dissolved. If the sugar hasn't dissolved, cook and stir a bit more, until it has. Once the sugar has dissolved, boil the syrup, undisturbed, for 2 minutes, or until the syrup registers 240 degrees on a candy thermometer or instant-read thermometer.

Begin to beat the egg whites, and immediately pour the boiling sugar syrup into the egg whites

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 30

in a slow stream, beating all the while. As you beat, the mixture will thicken.

Once all the syrup is added, stir in the vanilla, and continue to beat until the frosting is thick and will hold a peak. Put frosting in a piping bag filled with an open star tip.

Assembly: Gently melt the white chocolate. Brush the miniature ice cream cones with the melted chocolate and then immediately cover the soft chocolate with sprinkles. Set aside on wax paper to set.

Pipe a swirl of frosting on top of each cupcake.

Place ice cream cones upside down on top of each cupcake. Pipe a small star or dollop of frosting on the top of each ice cream cone. Dust the frosting with prism or luster powder.

For more fun, add a sparkler to each and light before serving!

Cupcake recipe adapted from King Arthur Baking "Favorite Fudge Birthday Cake."

Frosting adapted from King Arthur Baking "Favorite Fudge Birthday Cupcakes with 7-Minute Icing." Assembly inspired by Fancy Sprinkles and local company Sprinkle Pop Shop, both of which carry holiday blends and sparkly powders.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 31

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 32

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 33

KIDS

by Annie Blaylock McQueen, staff writer

That elf on that shelf

lawellphoto.com

Buzz Baby

lawellphoto.com

.

WHERE DID SHE GO? Austin, 2, and Jackson Morgan, 6, look for their family’s elf, Sophie Marshall, every morning in December. Mom Rebecca says Sophie Marshall has been showing up ever since Jackson was 3.

Buzz Baby is a column about life with babies.

Writer Annie McQueen is a mother of four children under the age of 7.

A

n elf that flies into people’s homes from the North Pole each night has become a treasured tradition in many families.

It all started sometime after 2005, which is when the children’s picture book The Elf on the Shelf,

by Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell, came out.

According to the book, the little elf magically appears inside homes each morning in

December to watch over the kids, check in from Santa’s headquarters, and keep an eye on the children.

These elves collect important data for the naughty and nice list. There are a few important rules, according to the book – the family needs to give the elf a name and cannot touch the elf, or else its magic will disappear.

The Eggleston family is familiar with this elf.

In the early hours, each day in December, the elf with round blue eyes, a smirk, a hard head, and soft stuffed body awaits two sleeping children. His name is Bubba, and he can be found

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 34

in a different scenario each morning – from dangling from the chandelier to getting into the candy cane stash.

The Eggleston kids, Wyatt, 7, and Berkeley, 5, have been waking each morning in December to find Bubba since Wyatt was 3 years old.

Wyatt and Berkeley’s mom, Elizabeth Eggleston, is a fifth-grade teacher at Frostwood Elementary School. Back in 2015, Elizabeth said an elf visited her classroom. “I had just as much fun with it as my students did,” she said, laughing. She said the elf would scan the classroom to check the elementary-school kids’ behavior.

LITTLE FAMILY HELPER From Taco Tuesday to cookie making, the Eggleston family’s elf, named Bubba, gets creative with his visits to Wyatt, 7, and Berkeley, 5.

Every morning leading up until Christmas Day, Wyatt and Berkeley wait at the bottom of the stairs together in their pajamas until they are given the green light by their mom or dad to go locate Bubba in their house.

Over the years, Bubba has gotten highly creative. He even keeps up with their family’s daily routines. “Sometimes, he brings goodies for the kids. When the kids find him, they scream,” said Elizabeth. “If we are going on a family sleigh ride, he might bring hot-cocoa fixings. If there is a big football game, he will dress the part. He loves Taco Tuesdays.”

One morning last year, Bubba brought superhero figurines for the kids – Batman and Captain America for Wyatt and Wonder Woman for Berkeley. The kids ran in to find the superheroes suspended from the ceiling.

He also brings Christmas books. Last year, he dropped off The Gingerbread Pirates. “He left all

of the goodies to make our own gingerbread men that weekend,” said Elizabeth. Berkeley and Wyatt love to talk with their friends about the elf every day.

Another Buzz family, the Morgans – mom Rebecca, dad Justin, Jackson, 6, and Austin, 2 – also welcome their elf each morning.

Rebecca picked up the book when Jackson was 3. Jackson decided to name their elf Sophie Marshall after his favorite character from the television show Paw Patrol, Marshall.

Sophie Marshall arrives at the Morgan home on the first day of December and leaves 24-day Christmas Advent calendars for each of the boys. “Each morning, she is in a new place,” said Rebecca. “With a toddler in the family, she is usually somewhere out of reach.”

Sophie Marshall has been on high shelves, the mantle, perched on wreaths, and hanging upside down on the fireplace. “Jackson loves to

run around the house and be the first to spot her,” said Rebecca.

Last year, Jackson became concerned that Sophie Marshall was hungry on her long travels from the North Pole. “He wanted to give her a snack, but he knew he couldn’t touch her, or she might lose her magic,” said Rebecca. “We decided to leave a cookie close to her, leave the room so she could move, and come back to see if she ate it.”

Rebecca had Jackson and Austin wait in their rooms, and she set a 5-minute timer. When the time was up, the boys ran to find a small bite missing from the cookie. “Jackson was so excited that she ate some of the cookie. The next day she brought a thank-you note.”

In some families, the elf now has competition during other holidays. For Easter, there is the “Peep on a Perch.” And for Halloween, the “Switch Witch.” An extra set of eyes on the kids is always helpful.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 35

ARTS

.

by Cindy Burnett, staff writer

Buzz Reads

Five picks for December

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

Christmas in Peachtree Bluff by Kristy Woodson Harvey – With Christmas in Peachtree Bluff, Harvey returns to her beloved fictional town of Peachtree Bluff for a holiday extravaganza with the Murphy family. When the oldest Murphy sister, Caroline, announces that she and her husband are divorcing, her 15-year-old daughter Vivi does not take the news well, so Caroline leaves her with her mother and father in Peachtree Bluff for the holidays to give them all a break from each other. When a hundredyear storm heads towards Peachtree Bluff and Vivi’s foolhardy behavior strands them in the town with no provisions, the Murphy sisters must set out on a rescue mission.

An Elderly Lady Must Not be Crossed by Helene Tursten – This small book, which can fit in your hand, is written in Swedish and translated into English. The main character, Maud, is a nearly 90-year-old serial killer. She targets those who cross her or abuse others, and she is super sneaky about it. In this installment (this is Book 2), she heads to Africa on a vacation, and trouble ensues. Part of the story is told in flashbacks as she reflects on issues earlier in her life, and the rest takes place as she travels across Africa. I enjoyed this comically dark book and need to go back and pick up Book 1. An Elderly Lady Must Not be Crossed can easily be read as a standalone.

Going There by Katie Couric – For many people, Katie Couric will always be associated with The Today Show, the popular morning show on NBC. But other aspects of her career and life are not as well known. In her memoir Going There, Couric chronicles how she got started, her career path, what she has learned and the mistakes she has made, the losses she has endured, and what she is doing now. When she graduated from college, she knew she wanted to work in journalism, so she started as an errand girl at ABC, then hopped to the fledging CNN’s Washington, D.C. offices, and ultimately landed at The Today Show, where she became a household name and face.

The conversational tone Couric strikes in this

memoir carries the book; she writes as if talking to a close friend as she relays her story. Moreover, her ability to look back on certain events with a fresh lens and to frequently take responsibility for her missteps, instead of making excuses for those actions, made her more likeable to me as I read. Going There is an engrossing and entertaining memoir that will appeal to readers who enjoyed watching Couric on The Today Show.

A Season with Mom: Love, Loss, and the Ultimate Baseball Adventure by Katie Russell Newland – Newland, who resides in Austin, and her mom loved cheering the Cubs on from their New Orleans home and WHAT TO READ This month’s picks include three memoirs, a holiday story set dreamed of visiting all of in North Carolina, and a clever mystery about a nearly 90-year-old serial killer. the Major League companion; through thick and thin he was Baseball ballparks one day. When Newland’s always there. Since she lived across from the mom passes away before they can fulfill this Commons in Boston, they would venture over dream, Newland sets out to visit all 30 ballparks daily to what became his bench and greet friends in one season to both honor her mother and to and strangers alike. Once he reached 14, she reflect on their relationship along the way. Each began to worry about what would happen when chapter pairs a visit to a particular ballpark with he was gone. Woodrow on the Bench pays homage a relevant story about Newland’s mother and to her sweet companion and the lessons he includes beautiful black-and-white photos, with taught her and others. I loved this book and finone item highlighted in red, from each stop. ished it with tears streaming down my face.

Peyton Manning, her childhood neighbor, writes the introduction, and Kaley Cuoco has Editor’s note: Southside Place resident Cindy optioned it for the screen. I highly recommend Burnett also writes our weekly Page Turners column this one. This book came out earlier in the year, at thebuzzmagazines.com. She hosts the Thoughts but I am including it now because it will make a from a Page Podcast, is co-creator of the Houston great gift for the holidays. literary event series Conversations from the Page, Woodrow on the Bench: Life Lessons from runs the Instagram account @thoughtsfromapage, a Wise Old Dog by Jenna Blum – Blum’s and regularly speaks to groups about books.

Labrador retriever Woodrow was her constant

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 36

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 37

TRAVEL

.

by Tracy L. Barnett, staff writer

Travel Buzz A

A Park City Christmas

native Texan, John Johnson always dreamed of having a snowy White Christmas. In 2017, together with his family, the dream came true – in a big way.

He and wife Carolyn had just bought the vacation home of their dreams in Park City – a place they had come to love because of the family atmosphere, super-flaky snow and convenience, just 45 minutes from the Salt Lake City airport.

They found the perfect mountain home for the whole family 8,000 feet above sea level in Deer Valley along with a ski-in, ski-out trail, and they closed the deal in June. Son Mike and daughter-in-law Jana were excited by the news of the new place, and so were grandchildren Cole and Lily, then 13 and 11.

“It was always my husband’s dream to have a big family Christmas in the mountains,” recalls Carolyn.

But she hadn’t planned on doing Christmas there so soon – until Mike and Jana said they planned to come, so Carolyn “put it in high gear.”

Carolyn cast about for ideas about how to make this Christmas super-special when she hit on the scheme of a scavenger hunt. It would be a fun way for the kids to get to know the new house while tracking down their gifts, she thought.

“We spent one whole weekend coming up with places to hide little bitty black boxes,” she said. She typed up cards with the clues. Each answer was the name of a room so that the kids would have to learn their names. The house – which they dubbed Cowboy Longhorn Lodge, with a nod to Carolyn’s alma mater, UT — would, of course, have a Western theme, with a touch of Texas. The bedrooms were Wild Horse, Stagecoach, Dripping Springs, and Silver Saddle; then there was the Wasatch Theatre, Cowboy Bar, and other special spots and corners throughout the house: under the yak, in the moose’s hood, behind the bronze cowboy.

Christmas rolled around, and the family arrived on Christmas Eve, beginning by celebrating “the reason for the season” at a small local church. Dinner was tamales that Carolyn had stocked up on back in Houston at Pete’s Fine Meats.

Lily was thrilled to wake up to her first snowcovered mountain scene on Christmas morning.

The family woke up early and had a quick breakfast – bagels with peanut butter – and headed out to the slopes to lay fresh tracks CHRISTMAS ON THE SLOPES John, Cole, Lily, and Mike Johnson stop for a quick with Santa while photo opp before tackling the downhill slopes. other families were as well as a trip to their favorite Italian restaustill opening their presents. rant, Grappa. It’s located at the top of Main Then it was back home for a delicious lunch Street in an old house with a fireplace, friendly of Cajun Hot Wings that Carolyn had ordered waiters, and wonderful Italian food, and it’s online from Hebert’s, then sipping mimosas become a family tradition. made the traditional way with orange juice and The Johnsons are far from teetotalers – they champagne. Finally, it was time for the scavenjoyed a visit to the High West Distillery and enger hunt aptly named “The Twelve Days of the tastings of their special holiday bourbon, Christmas” to commence. among other spirits – but they do appreciate the One riddle read: “Merry, Merry Christmas more conservative, family-oriented atmosphere Cole! This is going to be fun and games! Find a of Utah, which they attribute to the Church of room with a great view where inside critters Latter-Day Saints, which has influenced the keep warm by the flames.” (Answer: Family development of the state from its inception.

Room – under bear ottoman) “I’ve been to Vail and to Aspen and all the And another: “Lily, Have a Merry, Merry different ski places in Colorado, and I appreciate Christmas full of lots of snow and a wild run! that bartenders don’t let people get rip-roaring Your first gift is sleeping where a horse bucks for drunk on Main Street,” said Carolyn. “It’s a realfun.” (Answer: Wild Horse – behind Sonos box) ly good family environment.”

The kids passed the next couple of hours in a That doesn’t mean it’s boring, not by a long whirlwind, putting their minds together to figure shot. Its antique mining town history lends itself out the 12 clues. to some colorful stories, with which their guide “We were running around, following them Kirsten regaled them. In old mining towns, there from room to room,” said Carolyn. “It was just wasn’t much to do besides the bar and the brothhilarious, and they had the best time.” el, she learned, so there were plenty of them.

After the scavenger hunt, it was time for “Our guide was a sommelier with a party bus Christmas dinner: turkey and all the trimmings. whose grandfather was one of the miners. She “It was just a huge deal for everyone,” said takes you all around Park City, telling you about Carolyn. “Usually, you get up and rip through its rich history as a mining town,” Carolyn said. the presents in 20 minutes. But this made it “For instance, we learned that there are more something really special.” tunnels under Park City than New York or Now Cole is 17, and Lily is 15.

Chicago because of the silver mines.”

“They still talk about it,” Carolyn recalls with Another thing she likes about Deer Valley is a laugh. that it’s only for skiers – no snowboarders allowed.

The scavenger hunt was not repeated; when She describes herself as someone who “used to be Christmas rolls around, they focus more on skia good skier but now I’m just functional,” and she ing, visiting, exploring the town, and enjoying confesses to being a bit terrified at the sound of a its various attractions. But the Christmas of snowboard coming up behind her.

2017 will never be forgotten.

The family enjoys their mountain home in the A beloved Christmas memory they’ve repeatsummer, as well, when it’s (continued on page 40) ed is a horse-drawn sleigh ride up the mountain

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 38

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 39

A WASATCH WINTER HOLIDAY From top left: A mid-trail selfie before the grandkids (Cole and Lily) tear off through the trees and the grands (John and Carolyn) opt for the more wide-open runs; dreaming of a white Christmas; snow-covered trees lit up for Christmas in Deer Valley. From bottom left: A friendly neighborhood moose drops by for a sip of the hot tub; “Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh;” skiing with Santa. (continued from page 38) an ideal spot to escape

from the Houston heat for a few days. So much so, in fact, that one year in early June, they woke up to find a foot of snow on the ground.

“I left Houston in sandals and thought we were good,” she recalled with a laugh.

Another thing they enjoy – though with great respect and caution – is their resident moose, who like to walk up the ski-in ski-out trail behind their house and mosey right across their patio, to get to a shady area on the other side.

“Of course they have nicknames. We call them Bullwinkle, Natasha, and Rocky.”

One time John and Carolyn were in the hot

tub in early October, which is mating season for the moose, when they are especially restless.

“We had seen Natasha and her baby, Rocky, nearby, so we had to be on moose watch,” she said. “All of a sudden, John said, ‘Uh-oh, we gotta go.’”

They jumped out and Carolyn shot photos from inside the house, dripping wet, as the moose crossed the patio and stopped to drink out of the hot tub.

“There was music playing, the water was bubbling, there were lights… it didn’t bother Mama Moose at all,” she said. “Then we had to run them off because Baby Moose was trying to get

into the hot tub.”

All in all, buying a home in Park City was the perfect choice for the Johnsons. Not only does it provide a White Christmas season, but it gathers everyone together as a family once, sometimes twice a year, where they can slow down life’s pace and simply indulge in all the lovely seasons Utah provides.

Editor’s note: Buzz travel columnist Tracy L. Barnett is a Lowell Thomas travel journalism award winner and longtime travel and environmental writer. Email her at info@thebuzzmagazines.com to share your own travel tales.

Park City faves Some of Carolyn Johnson’s favorite places: • Kirsten Fox’s Wines and Mines Tour of Park City • High West Distillery and Refectory – Utah bourbon and rye whiskeys • Los Lobos Dog Sledding with rescue dogs • Deer Valley amphitheater, the Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater, for outdoor concerts • Sundance Mountain Resort • Utah Olympic Park And her favorite Park City restaurants: Dinner • Grappa – great Italian menu

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 40

• Prime Steak House – best steak in town • Fletcher’s – best salmon in town • Goldener Hirsch – great Weinerschnitzel and cheese fondue • Riverhorse on Main – great Continental for special occasions Lunch • Café Terigo – modern Italian • High West Saloon – eclectic with great cocktails • No Name Saloon – best buffalo burger in town Breakfast/Brunch • Eating Establishment – great traditional breakfast • Silver Star Café – chorizo and egg pizza • Silver Fork – best sourdough pancakes

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 41

DINING

by Dai Huynh, staff writer

Chef’s Corner

Rene Hidalgo

MEXICO CITY FARE For nearly 15 years, Rene Hidalgo and wife Yolanda garnered fans with Mexico City fare at their now-shuttered Maria Selma. Now, Tamales Don Pepe, which opened its doors in 2018, draws a crowd for its breakfast-and-lunch menu showcasing Mexico City tamales, squash blossom quesadillas, and other classics.

N

ow and then, you come across a hole in the wall that turns out to be a gem you already know.

Many people have never heard of Tamales Don Pepe (3816 Link Valley Drive), but when they enter the laid-back 1,500-square-foot breakfast-and-lunch spot, they might see a familiar face. Chef Rene Hidalgo helped introduce many Houstonians to Mexico City cuisine long before it became mainstream in the Bayou City.

Rene and wife Yolanda opened Maria Selma

in 2002, and for nearly 15 years, their Montrosearea eatery was famous for its margaritas, enchiladas verdes, huevos rancheros, homemade corn tortillas, and brunch under a giant thatched palapa. In 2018, the couple resurfaced with a diminutive and affordable Mexico City breakfast-and-lunch concept.

Tamales Don Pepe is bustling on Sunday despite being housed in a timeworn shopping center minutes from NRG Stadium. BMWs, Range Rovers, and other high-end vehicles are

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 42

parked out front, driven by Maria Selma regulars from all over.

When Rene opened Tamales Don Pepe on Cinco de Mayo in 2018, he wasn't sure whether it would make it, but thanks to word-of-mouth, his Maria Selma regulars started trickling in, and they told their friends about the Mexico City street-food concept in which you can fill up on fresh, homemade fare for less than $10.

Today, Tamales Don Pepe serves several thousand breakfast tacos (continued on page 44)

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 43

AT TAMALES DON PEPE Counter-clockwise: Chicken tinga flautas, classic huevos rancheros with chilaquiles, and tamales preparados, or tamales out of the corn husk and topped with red and green salsas. (continued from page 42) weekly, along with hun-

dreds of tamales. This month, Rene and Yolanda will be up to their elbows in masa. The couple will make more than 3,000 tamales just for Christmastime parties and late-night family feasting. Here, Rene explains the difference between his Mexico City tamale and its TexMex sibling, along with his secret ingredient – and no, it isn't lard.

You offer chicken and pork tamales along with other fillings, including mushrooms, roasted poblanos or rajas, and black beans. Traditionally, people combine lime, water, and masa with lard to make tamales, but not you.

We don’t use lard. We’re close to Meyerland, which has a sizeable Jewish community, and some may not eat pork. So, we use vegetable shortening, and to give the masa depth and richness, we add our homemade chicken stock instead of water. Also, some people will add the water that they cooked the pork in, but I don’t find the taste to be as clean or flavorful. Tamale is about the masa. It has to be as savory as the filling.

So, what are Mexico City tamales?

They’re fluffier, wider, and less greasy. TexMex tamales are smaller, greasier. Our tamales weigh about six ounces, and you fill up with one or two. But the difference is how fluffy they are.

You can scoop it with a spoon. The dough has an airy lift that comes from whipping the dough and a dash of baking soda.

On a trip to Mexico City, we saw folks eating a tamale sandwiched inside a bolillo, a softer variation of a baguette. We later learned that the carb-centric torta de tamal is a popular breakfast item for people on the go. Tamales are an everyday affair in Mexico, but here, in the United States, we tend to reserve

tamales for celebratory occasions, like graduation parties and Christmas gatherings. And since they’re laborious, many families order them from restaurants like yours. What is the best way to reheat frozen tamales?

There are a few ways to reheat tamales, but the best way is to place them in a steam pot over low heat. Once the water starts to boil, reduce heat to low, and it will take about eight minutes for the tamales to be ready. Another way is to wrap them in aluminum foil and place them on a skillet over low heat. The tamales will be a little dry this way but still delicious.

Also, because of the corn husk, heating it this way will give the tamales a smoky flavor.

However, if you find this too dry to the taste, just top them with more salsa.

What's the story behind the name Don Pepe?

There is no story. I just thought it was catchy.

You know, “Don Pepe.” People assume that my name is Don Pepe, while others think I took over Tamales Don Pepe, but that isn’t the case.

It used to be a South African restaurant.

You opened Don Pepe a year after closing Maria Selma. Why the switch?

When we opened Maria Selma on Richmond, many people didn’t think we would make it. We were between two Tex-Mex restaurants, El Pueblito Patio and La Tapatia. They were established and popular. But we ended up lasting 15 years, and then the landlord doubled our rent and opened a bar next door. Parking became a huge problem. In the end, I had bigger payments and fewer customers.

You opened Maria Selma in August, about a month after Hugo Ortega opened his namesake restaurant on Westheimer. While Hugo focused on

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 44

the foods of interior Mexico, you introduced Houstonians to the cuisine of Mexico City. Why? I'm from Mexico City. The city attracts people from all over the country, so I grew up tasting these different flavors. It’s a big city, like New York City, and if you don’t do it right, you don’t make it at all in Mexico City.

When we opened Maria Selma, you had TexMex places, but no one was showcasing the foods of Mexico City. So, here at Don Pepe, we decided to showcase its tamales and many street foods, like quesadillas made with yellow corn or blue corn tortillas and stuffed with various fillings. Next time, you need to try the quesadillas with flor de calabaza, or squash blossoms, and also the huitlacoche, or corn fungus with cheese.

We also make a blue-corn sope, which I don’t think anyone else offers. Sopes are thick masa cakes. Here, we make Sope Pepe with blue corn, beans, queso fresco, and a fried egg with green or red salsa.

Aside from huaraches, chilaquiles, empanadas, tostadas, and other street foods, you’re known for chicken soup. People will buy it cold in large quarts to store in their refrigerator. How do you get the broth so clear?

Like everything, we make it from scratch. We use chicken broth in our tamales and many other dishes. After we simmer the broth for about an hour and a half, we allow it to cool in these large pails. Then, we wait for all the sediments to settle at the bottom. Then carefully, we transfer the clear broth to another container.

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

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 45

SPORTS

.

by Todd Freed, staff writer

SportzBuzz W

ith their 19-7 victory over the Heights Bulldogs, the Lamar Texans reclaimed the district 18-6A football championship while marking the Texans’ 11th district title in the last 12 years.

“We had the district championship circled as a big-time goal, and our kids played really great. It’s extremely special to come back and win the title,” said Texans head coach Mike Lindsey.

The victory avenged last year’s loss to the Heights Bulldogs, which, at the time, had ended the Texans’ remarkable 72-game district winning streak.

“We’ve gone through a lot of adversity to come back and win this year’s district championship,” said Lindsey. “Our program was shut down back in August for a couple of weeks due to Covid, which forced us to miss both of our pre-season scrimmages. Plus, we had several injuries, including the loss of two of our top seniors to seasonending injuries. Our team has rallied around each other, and the culture and atmosphere here at Lamar is really strong.”

Offensively, the Texans were led by a strong season from running back Kenneth Kennedy.

“Kenneth has come on to play his best ball when it mattered most,” said Lindsey. In addition, Lindsey had high praise for offensive tackle Orion Irving, who made a smooth transition from defensive line to offense this season. On defense, Lindsey credited senior safety Kobe Jones with an outstanding season. A three-year starter, Jones was a finalist for the Touchdown Club of Houston’s Defensive Player of the Year award.

“It’s definitely fantastic,” said Mavericks senior Stephan Gustafson. “It’s taken a long time to get over that hump, and it was definitely a team effort.

We’re all especially proud of this win.”

It was an especially proud season from start to finish for a resurgent St. John’s football program.

“We’re all really close, and it took an effort to bring this team together,” said Gustafson. “We started having Zoom calls last November, and then workouts began in December. We had team outings and even went to a waterpark together last May. We really are a brotherhood.”

D

T

espite a 34-24 defeat to the Kinkaid Falcons in the regular-season finale, the St. John’s Mavericks put forth their winningest season in recent history. The Mavericks went 7-2 on the year, highlighted by a thrilling 24-20 victory over the rival Episcopal Knights, marking the first win for St. John’s over Episcopal since the 2011 football season.

“It was one of those games our guys had circled long before the season. To beat your rivals at home for the first time in a decade is pretty special,” said Mavericks head coach Kevin Veltri. “It was a great atmosphere, on a fun and exciting night for our entire community.”

TEXANS TRIUMPH Lamar Texans running back Jeremiah Russell high steps his way in for a touchdown in the Texans’ district win over Westbury. Lamar went on to capture its 11th district championship in the last 12 years.

he Memorial Mustangs continue to make their mark as one of the state’s powerhouse tennis programs, having advanced to the 6A state tennis tournament for an amazing 13th consecutive year. This year’s team ultimately fell to Lake Travis in the state semifinals but not before winning yet another regional championship to advance to the state final four. The Mustangs previously won state championships in 2017 and 2019.

“I’m extremely proud of this team,” said Mustangs tennis coach Budd Booth. “Like every year, our team has a target on its back since we’re always one of the state’s top teams. Even so, these kids elevate their game when it matters the most.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 46

They do what is needed to be successful, including three-hour practices daily, weight training, nutrition, and just about whatever it takes to be a great athlete. To advance to state for 13 straight years is pretty amazing.”

To get to the state tournament this year, the Mustangs put forth a simply dominating 10-1 victory over a highly regarded Clements Rangers team in the 6A regional finals. Among those leading the way were senior girls captain Hallie Jeffers and senior boys captain Eric Kuo. Both Jeffers and Kuo have signed to play collegiate tennis at Washington University in St. Louis.

In addition, the Mustangs girls were paced all season by Tara Ahmadi, Ariana Sadiku, Rashmi Singal, Paige Pesek, Kat Lowy, and Ava Annino, while, along with Kuo, top players on the boys’ side included Chase Scholz, Egor Morozov, Nate Raney, Sean Fang, Christo Langford, and Kanari Hirano.

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

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 47

SPORTS

.

by Angie Frederickson, staff writer

W

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

Riding the wave The West University Softball Association (WUSA) 10U WAVE all-star team (top photo) won the Slide into Fall round-robin tournament in Willis. With a combination of dominant pitching, solid defense, and powerful hitting, the girls won all four tournament games by large margins to claim the title of champion.

The WAVE players came together from various regular-season softball teams to form the all-star team after a rigorous tryout process. The champions are (top row, from left) coach Ben Gaw, Daniela Trejo, Annabelle Hamilton, Michelle Gaw, Carson Weinberg, Amanda Debusk, Emery Morris, coach Mike Levy, (bottom row, from left) Sophia Tang, Isabella James Berry, Sydney Monkmeyer, Claire Koush, Ainsley Triche, Zoe Nodler, and Sarah Levy. Also coaching were Bob Monkmeyer, Drew Morris, Jorge Trejo, Andrew DeBusk, and Tony Tang.

A speedy season It was an impressive season for the St. Vincent de Paul cross-country team (middle photo). After eight meets, the runners finished with the Greater Houston Catholic Athletic Association (GHCAA) district championship meet held at Spring Creek Park in Tomball. Middle-school cross-country athletes compete in a 1.5-mile run, and the girls’ team finished in second place, while the boys’ team finished in first place. The fastest St. Vincent de Paul boy was Nico Curtin, with a time of 8:49; sixth-grade girl Ceci Bass’ 9:29 time earned her the fastest finish among all of the girls throughout the GHCAA. The team is (from left) Aurora Riley, Kristi Curtin, Sarah Ortegon, Gabriela Guerrero, Ceci Bass, Morgan Horan, Reagan Mull, Gigi Bass, coach Marion Jones, Patrick Leif, Miles Eddlemon, Henry Benoit, Alexander Montoya, Barrett Fowler, and Nico Curtin.

Lady Panthers dominate the court Presbyterian School’s eighth-grade varsity volleyball team (bottom photo) won second place in the Houston Junior Preparatory Conference (HJPC) championship. The Lady Panthers entered as the No. 4 seed and advanced through the tournament by defeating the No. 1 seed, Second Baptist School, in two sets. Coach Veronica Espinoza says the girls’ passion, hard work to overcome obstacles, and incredible improvement during the season are what helped them make it all the way to the championship match. The team is (top row, from left) coach Beth Spearman, Aubrey Davidson, Diana Hernandez, Annelise DeGrange, Rande Napier, Isabelle DeGrange, Annie Schaefer, coach Veronica Espinoza, (bottom row, from left) Sophie Girotto, Emily Kopel, Lauren Hancock, Amelia Anthony, and Makenna Riley.

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.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 48

Tony Tang

SportzBuzz Jr.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 49

INSTAFAMOUS Lindsey and Ryan Karkowsky, 10th and 12th graders at The Kinkaid School, run a popular Instagram account for their chihuahua/terrier-mix dog, Skittles.

KIDS

by Lindsey Karkowsky, age 15

Buzz Kidz I

Skittles the barker

n 2016, when I was 9 years old and my brother Ryan was 11 years old, we decided to make an Instagram account for our dog Skittles.

Fast forward to 2021, and now the account has 14,900 followers who adore Skittles.

We started the account by posting themed and festive pictures of Skittles dressed for specific events and holidays. Though this account started with just posting the fun photos, my brother and I wanted to do more than just that.

When Hurricane Harvey hit, my brother and I raised $1,500 and donated it to the SPCA because that is where we adopted Skittles. My brother and I personally delivered the check to the SPCA to show our support. After the hurricane, when there were many displaced animals throughout the county, we wanted to help

them by making videos, posting information, and reaching out to many people to raise money for this organization.

Besides raising money for this charitable cause, we would also reach out to small companies for sponsorships. They would send us their inventory, and we would post it on the account.

This allowed us to try free dog products such as toys, bones, swim floaties, etc. for Skittles, and in return, those businesses would get promoted on Skittles’ account. Additionally, from the sponsored products, we would have contests with free giveaways.

This account, @skittles_the_barker, is more than just about our dog. It is a social media platform to promote small companies, raise money for animal shelters, and provide information

about interesting things for dogs for our followers. We never knew Skittles would have such an impact on so many people on Instagram; this dog has more followers than I do!

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.

32 WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 50

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 51

sponsored by

PETS

Neighborhood Tails Daisy, age 2, Sheepadoodle, Falkirk Ln. Hello, friends. My name is Daisy.

I live with five humans and one cat. I have 2 jobs – to watch the kids and herd them (because I’m half Old English Sheepdog and half Poodle) and to notify the whole house when there are squirrels running around the street (which is way more important). The most exciting part of my day is when I get to go on walks with my dad. It’s so fun, and we get to spend the whole day together! Sometimes it gets lonely when dad and mom are working and the kids are at school, so I usually just sleep during this time. I love to greet the kids when they come home from school – it’s very exciting! You can find me walking around my neighborhood or chasing squirrels all around the street.

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

Vote for our pet of the year Newt

Angel

Sadie

Monty

Thumper

Molly

Tobi

Buzz

Visit thebuzzmagazines.com to vote for The Buzz Magazines’ 2021 Pet of the Year. Here is a sampling of the contestants. The winner will be announced on our website, Monday, December 13. To have your pet considered for our Neighborhood Tails column, please email a high-resolution photo and 150 words to info@thebuzzmagazines.com.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 52

Coco

Sam

CiCi

Tiger Shark

A

D

V

E

R

T

O

R

I

A

L

Taxes and death of a spouse Grieving spouses are advised not to make major decisions for a year.

Among older couples, as many as half the survivors suffer severe grief – anxiety, depression, shock, intrusive thoughts – for six months after a spouse’s death. For others, severe grief can last 18 months to three years. Severe grief impairs survivors both physically and mentally.

Unfortunately, the death of a spouse presents significant income and estate tax deadlines and decisions, not all minor.

Taxpayers generally must prepay 90 percent of their federal income tax (FIT) each year by FIT withholding or quarterly estimated payments. To avoid underpayment penalties, the surviving spouse may need to increase withholding or payments, and immediately, to compensate for those that stopped on death, especially if the death was early in the year. It’s too late to wait until the next income tax return is due.

The year of death is the last a couple can file joint income tax returns.

After that, the survivor files as a single person. With dependent children, the survivor may enjoy joint rates up to two more years. The shift from joint to single filer invites “the widow’s penalty.” A couple with $230,000 of taxable income in 2020 has a top rate of 24 percent. A single person the same year with only $180,000 of taxable income has a top rate of 32 percent. If conversion of a traditional IRA to a Roth makes sense, survivors should act before becoming a single filer.

Nine months after the date of death is the deadline to pay federal estate taxes. (There is no Texas death tax.) The due date for the return may be extended six months on request. The current estate tax exemption is $11.7

million per individual, so few survivors owe estate taxes or need to file a return. Survivors may want to file anyway, to preserve the deceased spouse’s unused exemption for children and other heirs. Some proposals would reduce the current exemption to $3.5 million.

This so-called portability election may be wise insurance for larger estates.

September 30 of the year after the participant’s death is the deadline to determine the new IRA beneficiary. For surviving spouses, rolling retirement accounts into their own names is routinely recommended. Survivors under 59½ may prefer not, to avoid a 10 percent penalty if early withdrawal is desired.

Survivors often downsize, selling a large home to minimize expenses, raise cash, or change locations. Unmarried survivors who sell within two years of a spouse’s death may exclude $500,000 of gain on the sale, not just the standard $250,000 for other individuals.

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

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

WELCOME TO OUR PRACTICE,

DR. ANTHONY J. WEIDO The Allergy Clinic is pleased to welcome Dr. Anthony J. Weido to our practice. Dr. Weido will be seeing patients in our Fannin, Pasadena and Pearland locations.

Our Fannin office is now open Monday through Saturday.

NO ONE NOSE ALLERGIES LIKE WE DO™ Established 1956 • All doctors are board-certified by ABAI Most insurance providers accepted 7707 Fannin, Suite 100, Houston, TX 77054 • 713-797-0993 *1200 Binz, Suite 1400, Houston, TX 77004 • 713-522-9911 6243 Fairmont Parkway, Suite 102, Pasadena, TX 77505 • 281-991-6750 10223 Broadway (FM 518), Suite L, Pearland, TX 77584 • 713-436-9009 www.allergyclinic.com *Operating as Houston Allergy and Asthma Clinic

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 53

A

D

V

E

R

T

O

R

I

A

L

The “D” word As 2021 comes to a close, the resolution making begins. How to make 2022, the new year, fit the new you – or at least the new you that you hope to be. For many relationships, the last two years have been eye-opening. Nothing tests a relationship quite like a global pandemic, an election, and other social/economic crises. The year 2021 was supposed to solve the problems created by 2020 – but what about those problems that are sitting in the other room or lying in bed next to you, that never went away?

The word “divorce” used to be uttered in hushed tones. That was for those people. Does all divorce have to be bad? Does it have to be so hard and dramatic? The short answer: absolutely not.

Hiring an attorney and filing for divorce does not mean you are looking for a fight. It does mean that you are looking out for you, your kids, and, in some respects, your soon-to-be ex.

To file or not to file?

The adage “stay together for the kids” does not work, and honestly, it may never have. Children are a lot smarter than we give them credit for – they pick up on tension, stress, and hostility, constant arguments, or the silent treatment. If a relationship is no longer healthy for you as a spouse, then it is time to look at your options.

Divorce may be the only way to salvage your ability to co-parent in a healthy way – how many of our spouses make awful partners but wonderful parents. Filing may be the only way to get your fresh start.

There are advantages to filing first. You get to tell your story first,

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 54

whether it be in a mediation where you are trying to work together on agreements, or to a judge if negotiations fail and/or things get messy.

You also get to set the tone for the divorce – are you wanting to keep things amicable and easy, or does your situation require you to be aggressive from the start?

To hire or not to hire?

From the easiest and simplest of situations to the messiest, hire someone who knows the law and knows what they are doing. Hire someone who will be as litigious as you want them to be, but who will be straightforward with the good and the bad. Hire someone to make sure your rights as a spouse or a parent are protected.

Where do I start?

By reading this, you already have. Make an appointment and learn about the rights and the options available to you, given your specific family, circumstances, and needs. Knowledge is power and empowering.

Make 2022 your year.

Jennifer Levine Varadi, KoonsFuller Houston, 109 N. Post Oak Lane, Suite 425, Houston, Texas 77024, 713.789.5112

A

D

V

E

R

T

O

R

I

A

L

Get back to life with Texas Orthopedic Hospital If you struggle with back and neck pain, you’re not alone. More than 80 percent of people – including adolescents – will experience back pain at some point in their lives, making it one of the most common health problems in the U.S. While over-the-counter medication and rest can resolve some cases, when your pain interferes with your everyday way of life, specialized treatment may be needed. That’s where the Texas Orthopedic Hospital can help.

As one of the only specialty hospitals in the country dedicated to orthopedics, Texas Orthopedic Hospital brings together leading physicians in both interventional spine care and spine surgery to repair the spine and alleviate back pain. The majority of our orthopedic surgeons are members of Fondren Orthopedic Group, an association of physicians globally recognized for leadership in orthopedic medicine. Our physicians are internationally renowned, and many have completed fellowships in the subspecialties they excel in.

As a result, patients at Texas Orthopedic Hospital receive the highest level and quality of spine care. Depending on the source of your pain and condition, we employ advanced technology to provide a complete range of tailored solutions, from nonsurgical treatments and advanced pain-management therapies to the latest surgical options – including minimally invasive and advanced procedures not offered elsewhere. We also offer on-site imaging and rehabilitation services, offering comprehensive care from the moment you walk through our hospital doors. Some of the spine-related conditions we treat include cervical radiculopathy (pinched nerve), coccydynia (tailbone pain), degenerative disc disease, herniated disc (cervical and lumbar), and lumbar radiculopathy (sciatica).

Texas Orthopedic Hospital has served the Greater Houston area since

1995 and has grown to become an international destination for patients seeking specialty orthopedic care. We are consistently recognized for our outstanding performance in procedures, patient satisfaction, and safety. We consistently rank within the top 5 percent in the nation as measured by Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) and were named in 100 Hospitals with Great Orthopedic Programs by Becker’s Hospital Review. We are also designated as a Blue Cross Blue Shield: Blue Distinction Center+ for Spine. In addition, Texas Orthopedic Hospital is the recipient of several 2021 Healthgrades awards, including: ● America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Orthopedic Surgery ● Five-Star Recipient for Spinal Fusion Surgery ● Outstanding Patient Experience Award ● Patient Safety Excellence Award for 9 years in a row ● Top 10 Percent in the Nation for Patient Safety for 9 years in a row ● Top 15 Percent in the Nation for Outstanding Patient Experience ● Top 5 Percent in the Nation for Patient Safety for 9 years in a row This year, break free from the pain. For a free physician referral, please call 1-888-864-4357.

Texas Orthopedic Hospital, 7401 South Main St., Houston, Texas 77030, 713.799.8600, www.texasorthopedic.com

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 55

Jenny Antill Photography

NEIGHBORS

.

by Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld, staff writer

Buzz About Town

The Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation’s Ladies for Literacy Guild hosted the sixth annual Power of Literacy Luncheon at The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston, with nearly 500 guests. The event was co-chaired by Stephanie Tsuru and Leisa Holland-Nelson Bowman and emceed by KPRC 2 news anchor Keith Garvin. Setting the scene were giant books and fall décor. Rabbi David Lyon of Congregation Beth Israel offered an invocation, and the keynote speaker was television host Kathie Lee Gifford. The fireside chat, moderated by news anchor Dominique Sachse, spanned Gifford’s entertainment career and her new book, The Jesus I Know. Dominique revealed a surprise video featuring a special message from Gifford’s co-host, Hoda Kotb. The

luncheon raised more than $430,000. Pictured are (from left) Leisa Holland-Nelson Bowman, Kathie Lee Gifford, and Bob Bowman.

Can’t rain on our campout Despite rainy weather, the 14th annual Fathers & Flashlights urban campout took place on the fields surrounding West University Elementary School, with 523 kids and 249 dads. More than 240 volunteer moms helped out. Fathers & Flashlights co-chairs were the Hill, Huth, and Knysh families. Campers (including this group pictured) donned ponchos, played football and tag, and enjoyed lawn games, camel visits, a petting zoo, a speed radar cage, face painting, catchand-release fishing, and a tie-dye station. A rainbow brightened the experience even more. The event raised over $160,000 for West U parks plus additional in-kind donations valued at $24,000. The Park Lovers’ Ball is Feb. 5, 2022.

See westuparks.org for details and find more photos and details about the 2021 Fathers & Flashlights at thebuzzmagazines.com; search “Urban campouts” by Karen Vine Fuller.

Lauren DeFrehn Photography

Daniel Ortiz

In love with reading

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 56

Great futures Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston’s “Great Futures Dinner: Resilient Together” raised more than $900,000 to support after-school and summer programming for the 30,000 children and teens who utilize its 23 clubs every year. The dinner, held at the Hilton Americas hotel, drew more than 600 supporters. Event chair was board member Greg Keller. Honorees included sponsor Sysco and the Mary Louise Dobson Foundation.

Michelle Young, the wife of (continued on page 58)

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 57

Priscilla Dickson Photography

(continued from page 56) board chairman Julius

Young, who passed away Sept. 22, announced a new Julius Young Youth of the Year Award. She presented a $10,000 scholarship to Robert Ellis, now a freshman at Xavier University and formerly from the Johnny Mitchell Club. The emcee was Yve Rojas, with co-emcee Austin J., a Wharton Dobson Club member. Pictured (previous page) are Ashley and David Bilger.

Quy Tran

Child advocates

anchor, was the emcee, and musician Michael Pickett provided entertainment. Community activist and philanthropist Leela Krishnamurthy was honored for her support.

Her award was presented by Mayor Sylvester Turner and Consul General of India Shri Aseem Mahajan. Keynote speaker was Antoinette M. (Toni) Jackson, principal with The Banks Law Firm, an expert on affordable housing. Pictured are (from left) executive director Allison Hay, honoree Leela Krishnamurthy, Mayor Sylvester Turner, and Consul General Shri Aseem Mahajan.

Under the big top Rendezvous with DFSH drew more than 200 guests to celebrate Dress for Success Houston “under the big top,” a cocktail party tented outside the agency. The celebration was co-chaired

by Allie and Eric Danziger and Drs. Crystal and Randy Wright and honored community partner HEB and the families of DFSH. During the evening, four client ambassadors shared Daniel Ortiz

More than 200 attended the annual Accolades Luncheon: “The Academy Awards of Child Advocacy,” hosted at Hotel ZaZa by the nonprofit Children at Risk. Event chairs were Olivia and Eric Barvin, and honorary chair was former Houston City Council Member Amanda Edwards. Four leaders were recognized. The Champion for Children award was presented to Stephen Klineberg, founding director or the Kinder Institute for Urban Research. Larry James, CEO Emeritus of CitySquare, received the Maconda Brown O’Connor Legacy Distinguished Advocate Award. Texas Representatives Angie Chen Button and James Talarico were honored with the Voice for Children Award. Dr. Bob Sanborn, president and CEO of Children at Risk, and board chair Devika Kornbacher emceed the event, which raised $135,000. Pictured are Dr. Stephen and Margaret Klineberg.

Building a dream Houston Habitat for Humanity’s Building a Dream annual luncheon, held at the Westin Houston Medical Center, raised nearly $400,000 for the organization’s programs to build and improve homes of individuals in need.

Supported by presenting sponsor Trinidad (Trini) Mendenhall, the luncheon drew more than 400 guests. Owen Conflenti, KPRC-2 WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 58

their success stories with support from emcee Mia Gradney of KHOU. Auction co-chairs were Susie Cunningham, Kate Dearing Fowler, and Monica Richards. Supporters raised nearly $580,000 to continue the mission of empowering women. Pictured are chairs (from left) Drs. Randy and Crystal Wright and Allie and Eric Danziger.

No bones about it Mia Parker goes all out for Halloween. We’re talking intricately designed scenes that play out each fall in her yard. The stars are her skeletons.

She dresses and arranges them in creative ways, complete with snarky signs. This year, one sign read “Halloween Group Therapy.” Sitting in chairs were skeletons holding signs: “I fly off the handle” (a skeleton dressed as a witch); “I’ve got nobody!”; and “I’m stressed out from being an Astros fan!” Before Halloween, neighbor Emerson Beck, 11, stopped by Mia’s home on a walk. The Beck family was giggling over Mia’s “Killer selfie” tree (“Pick a (continued on page 60)

Gogh experience it

Quy Tran

Approximately 200 guests were starry-eyed at the Houston launch of the Original Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit at The Founders District.

Local stars, including The Suffers’ Kam

the sign encouraged. On the tree hung skeletons dressed as ominous characters such as the Grim Reaper and Freddy Krueger). Emerson told Mia how much she loves her decorations, and Mia invited her to join in. The next morning, Mia opened her mailbox to find a note addressed to “The neighbor who does the skeletons,” asking if she could help. Mia was delighted. The two spent hours working together; Emerson took ownership of hot-glueing coins onto a treasure chest. Mia plans all year for Halloween, collecting items left on the side of the road – even an old toilet. “I think you should be silly your whole life,” she said. For photos of Mia’s skeletons and other Halloween photos, search “Halloween 2021: All Treats!” at thebuzzmagazines.com.

and media honoree KHOU 11. Event emcee was anchor Kimberly Davis. Guests enjoyed performances by Theatre Under the Stars students, including “Thriller,” “The Addams Family,” and the grand finale, “Monster Mash.”

Pictured are (from left) Marie Von Sternberg, Debbie Putman, and Linda Lettner.

$1 million for the SPCA The Houston SPCA’s Equine Rescue Arena was transformed into a haunted ballroom for its annual ball, themed Howl-O-Ween. More than 350 – in Halloween costumes and cocktail attire – attended the record-breaking event, which raised more than $1 million for the Houston SPCA. Co-chairs were Zane and Brady Carruth and Ann and Leslie Doggett. The event recognized community honoree Linda McIngvale, mission honorees Westbury Animal Hospital, Jennifer Schechter Rosen, and Harris County Precinct One Constable Alan Rosen, WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 60

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

Items are published on a space-available basis. Also share your upcoming-event listings on thebuzzmagazines.com.

Wilson Parish

(continued from page 58) weapon and take a selfie,”

Franklin, artist Donkeeboy, and the Texans’ Whitney Mercilus, were in the crowd for the preview night of the experiential art event. The show, slated to run through Jan. 3 in Houston, brings the painter’s masterpieces to life in a massive warehouse (1314 Brittmoore Road) built out for the immersive video experience. The sunflower-laden space features a plethora of photo opps, including a vintage pickup in Van Gogh’s signature yellow. Pictured, at the preview night, are Will and Lindsay Fox. Tickets are $40-55. See houstonvangogh.com.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 61

NEIGHBORS

.

by Andria Frankfort, staff writer

Back Porch

Simplifying the holidays – or not behance.net/runamokstudios

H

ave you ever lived a longer year?

Christmas 2020 we were worried about going out, gathering, celebrating at all.

We didn’t have access to Covid vaccines, didn’t know when – or if – that would happen. Vogue, the paragon of fashion, gave us ideas like “The One-Size-Up Jeans” and “The Slipper-Adjacent Slide.” What a difference a year makes.

For Christmas 2021, every catalog and every magazine sparkles with gold sequined ball gowns and promises of “the roaring ’20s” to come. It’s hard to remember – did last year’s sweatpant-fest lockdown really happen? We’re ready to party!

But are we?

For some, the answer is without a doubt, “Yes!” Meredith Barineau, who, with her family, was exceedingly cautious throughout the crux of the pandemic, says, “We are ready to have a party, see friends, and celebrate life and the Christmas season! It’s time to hug people again!”

Another couple says they will spend Christmas, plus the weeks before and after, celebrating in Paris. An impossibility last year, due to travel restrictions and closures of restaurants and stores.

A Tanglewood accountant is also all-in. She says, “We are back to our normal celebration, acting like Covid never happened! Well, not really. But at least for our big family get-together, we are proceeding like normal. Fingers crossed!”

“Normal” for this family means all the generations dressing up and using silver and china.

Still, she says, “I have to say that it was kind of fun doing things different last year.”

“Different” meant gathering in smaller shifts, outside, distanced.

Many are wanting to celebrate, while keeping some of last year’s simplicity.

A West U licensed social worker and mother of four – a pre-teen, two teens, and a 20 year old – says simpler is better. “We are starting a new tradition of leaving town for a weekend,” she says, “to focus more on each other than on gifts. ...I am thrilled!” She adds that she also did not even open her boxes of Halloween decorations.

Another big celebrator who is streamlining says a family vacation will trump the traditional decking of the halls. “I just don’t have much shopping to do this year, nor do I feel like doing

DECISIONS What will Christmas and New Year's Eve mean for you – a big party or partying at home?

it,” the River Oaks-Crested Butte resident and empty-nester mother of two says. “We are taking a family trip that will take up most of our holiday funds. Then I’m going to London [with my husband] the week before Christmas. He has to go anyway for work, so I’m going to tag along. We will continue to do our [Christmas Eve and Christmas Day] festivities with family dinners, but I’m looking forward to spending time with the kids.”

The Pyne family usually decorates three Christmas trees in their River Oaks home, but no more. “The combination of being older and having older grandkids makes me want to not overdo it like I have in the past,” Tina says. “I am a crazy Christmas decorator. Three friggin’ trees! [This year] I’m paring down to one tree and limited outdoor decorations. That is what we did last year because of Covid. I used to be ‘more is better,’ but now I am ‘less is more.’”

Even now that we are gathering as families again, some are still struggling with clashing opinions that make getting together difficult.

One River Oaks mother of two college students says her family’s holiday celebrations will be sim-

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ DECEMBER 2021 62

plified, but only because she and her family don’t agree on best practices when it comes to staying healthy. “This year my family has decided that everyone must be vaccinated to join in our celebration,” she says. “We usually do a White Elephant and dinner with our extended family, but because some aren’t vaccinated they are not being included.”

Then she adds, “That idea went off like a lead balloon.”

Unlike in past years, when many of our holiday celebrations were dictated by years – decades? – of tradition, not to be tampered with, 2021 presents us with choices. Do we embrace the “new normal,” where less is more, calm prevails, and yoga pants and slippers are de rigueur?

Do we take back our normal-normal, seeing friends, exchanging gifts, enjoying family time?

Or, do we pull out the sequins and all the stops and get prepped for a month of party-hopping?

Maybe the question is this: When midnight hits and the calendar turns to 2022, do you want to be dancing at a party, or hosting a small Great Gatsby watch party at home? Or, would you just rather be asleep in bed?