The West University Buzz - February 2025

Mary and Gene Alford

Wedding Buzz In Their Golden Age: Books Spotlighting Seniors Writing to Fulfill a Promise Rolling Forward: the Feinstein Family

Recipe for a Sweet Space

The Wilchester Men’s Club A Good Hug

by Jennifer Oakley

Brain Rot Insta Cooks Houston, TX Permit No. 2047

On the Slopes: From Aspen to the Alps

PAID US Postage PRSRT STD

Buzz Reads

EDITOR’S NOTE As I write this, I receive updates from my 85year-old friend in LA dealing with the horrific fires. This is the same dear friend who contacted me while we were dealing with Hurricane Harvey and the 2021 freeze. Times when we were left in the dark and cold. During these times, my friend and I said the same thing: How can we help?

Luckily, she is safe, her home, not so much. But through our sadness, one word keeps coming up: community. Our communities helped each other through hard times here in Houston, and she too will lean on her community to rebuild. For me, it is a reminder that life can change instantly. In this issue, meet Jeffrey Feinstein, whose life changed instantly after a devastating accident. Jeffrey, now a quadriplegic, along with wife Alli and their family, has worked to give back to those suffering from spinal cord injuries, through a successful walk and now as chairs of this year’s ReelAbilities festival. Also in this issue, read about how Mary Alford used creativity – and meaningful memories – to decorate a blank wall of her home. Also, this month, we introduce Wedding Buzz, highlighting newlyweds. And learn about a men’s neighborhood club that plays flag football while giving back to the community. Finally, this month, Cindy Gabriel highlights the importance of hugging. Feels even more important these days to hug and hold one another close. 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, Instagram, and X thebuzzmagazines.com Editor-in-Chief Publisher Editor Associate Editor Design Manager Staff Writers

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

On our cover: Mary Alford (pictured, with husband Gene Alford) used more than 1,500 of her family’s recipe cards to decorate a wall of a room in their home.

Cover photo by Michael Hart, hartphoto.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 © 2025 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 FEBRUARY 2025 4

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ FEBRUARY 2025 5

MAILBAG

Your letters, thoughts, opinions It was doggone fun Neighborhood Tails is my favorite column in The Buzz. It is the first thing I flip to when my copy of the magazine arrives. You can only imagine how excited I was when notified that my lab mix Lina was eligible for the 2024 Pet of the Year contest.

My friends and neighbors had a lot of fun with the contest. One friend said she voted every morning over coffee and every evening over cocktails.

Another got her grandsons to vote. They voted for all the pets "so none of them would feel left out.” Leading Lina’s campaign was my friend who voted 1,000 times, locking Lina in first place for several days. Even so, the competition was tough and Lina came in third.

For Christmas, a friend gave Lina a bronze medal commemorating her accomplishment. I attached it to a red, white, and blue collar for her to wear in my Christmas card. Pet owners can be pretty corny, but we sure shared a lot of laughs over the contest.

Mary Maxey Editor’s note: Congratulations, Mary and Lina, on your third-place win and we’re so glad you had a paw-sitive experience with our Pet of the Year Contest!

Pet owners: If you would like your furry BFF to have their 15 minutes of fame too, submit your pet for Neighborhood Tails. Send a high-res photo and 150 words from your pet’s perspective to info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Then, your pet will be automatically entered into our popular Pet of the Year Contest.

Hit the right note On behalf of Space City Sound, I want to extend our sincere thanks for the wonderful article Cathy Gordon wrote about us in your December issue [Nothing Tops Barbershop: The happenin’ harmony of Space City Sound]. After conducting engaging interviews with members, her piece really captured the lively nature of our chorus.

We are passionate about sharing the joy of a cappella music with the community. We’re proud to share that we recently celebrated another soldout show, a testament to the growing support and enthusiasm for our music.

Thank you for helping us amplify our mission. Your time and effort in highlighting our work are deeply appreciated.

Carrie Kurtz, on behalf of Space City Sound

The best one yet Loved your article, Cindy [70 is Not the New 50: Thank goodness by Cindy Gabriel, Jan. 2025]. It dawned on me that every article that I’ve read, I always think, “It’s her best yet.”

Though the Ezell article with my pic [A Little Magic: Would be nice by Cindy Gabriel, Sept. 2020] will always be my favorite.

Patrick Mikulin

Life-saving story I wanted to thank you for including me in the recent CPR survival story [Stayin’ Alive: CPR saves lives by Cheryl Ursin, Jan. 2025]! And I am so happy that I was able to provide you with successful cardiac arrest survivors.

Not that many of them are around to tell their story.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ FEBRUARY 2025 6

Cheryl did a great job telling the story and I have received a few emails asking about CPR classes! The Buzz Magazines has a very large readership so I hope this will inspire more people to learn how to save a life!

Gail Gould

Teen making a difference Thank you so much for the publication [A brother’s mission to combat asthma, Buzz Kidz, Dec. 2024]. I also wanted to tell you the good news that our legislature to mandate inhalers in all Texas schools is now set to be discussed officially at the upcoming Texas Legislative Session.

The legislature can be seen online [by searching “Bill HB 856”].

Veer Garg, age 16 Editor’s note: Veer, that is fantastic news. Thank you for sharing your initiative with Buzz readers and kudos on the great work. And for any other young readers interested in writing about a passion or unique experience for our Buzz Kidz column, email info@thebuzzmagazines.com. We love highlighting all the incredible things Buzz teens and kids are doing.

Email us at mailbag@thebuzzmagazines.com. Or send to Mailbag, The Buzz Magazines, 5001 Bissonnet St., Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401. Please include your name, address, phone number and email address for verification purposes. Letters or emails addressed to The Buzz Magazines become the property of the magazine, and it owns all rights to their use for publication. Addresses, phone numbers and email addresses will not be published. Letters are subject to editing for clarity and length.

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.

We are looking for residents for upcoming articles who: • Were recently married.

• Know a Buzzworthy neighbor to feature.

• Have a milestone life event to share.

• Love to read and would be interested in sharing favorite books.

• Have an interesting travel tale.

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

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ FEBRUARY 2025 7

by Cindy Gabriel, staff writer

Morgan Weber

NEIGHBORS

A Good Hug Could prolong your life

I

n my efforts to change the world, I’m switching my focus this year to little things that I can change about myself that may have some kind of ripple effect. Instead of dividing people by their politics or religion, I’m thinking about the huggers and the non-huggers. I’m pretty sure I could hug more.

I’ve noticed that when a huggy person enters a room, say at a social gathering, I pick up a glass of wine or a plate of food and hold it with both hands. I don’t do it consciously, but now that I think about it, I did it recently. People probably sense this in me and keep their distance.

Who knows how many hugs I have missed just from the vibes I send. Who knows how much it might improve my health to go in for the hug. Who knows how much my hugs might help another person's health.

Dr. Lance Westendarp, Stan’s nephew, with the Center for Embodied Health and Movement in Houston, says hugging produces the feel-good hormone oxytocin, which can counter the effect of the stress hormone cortisol.

“It’s not that cortisol is a bad hormone; it’s great when you need to literally run away from a bear.

But we tend to overly rely on our stress response.

Basically, we are running from bears every day while sitting still.” According to Dr. Westendarp, this can cause a state of chronic stress, which leads to chronic illness like high blood pressure, diabetes, and digestive diseases.

Despite my own hugging deficiency, I managed to give birth to a huggy daughter, Julia, the mother of two very huggy boys, Eli and Faires, born 22 months apart. Was I a huggy mother? I asked Julia. No, she replied. You know that about yourself, she added. Ouch.

Julia said she got her huggy habit from her high school friend Claudia who would routinely hug her and tell her she loved her daily, as she did with all her friends. No wonder everyone likes Claudia.

Westendarp says the most productive hugs involve contact with the sternum, next to the heart. It is why babies are put on their mother, chest to chest, as soon as they are born. It helps regulate the baby's breathing. Even putting your own hand over your sternum (heart) can proWEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ FEBRUARY 2025 8

duce an oxytocin response. In other words, yes, even hugging yourself can produce oxytocin to counteract the overproduction of cortisol.

“Would you believe, the body can actually tell the difference between a real hug and an insincere hug and regulate its oxytocin response accordingly?” contends Westendarp.

Each morning before school, 4year-old Faires (in pre-k) and 6-yearold Eli (in kindergarten) hug sponHEART TO HEART Brothers Eli and Faires Weber demonstrate the ideal sternumtaneously on the to-sternum hug. school sidewalk that it’s hard for me to say it back. I love my before heading to their respective classes. If Eli daughters too, but I don’t think I have said it leaves without hugging Faires, Faires cries until he much to them, either. I love you girls, down to my comes back, said Julia. toes! There. It’s easier to put it in writing.

At the beginning of the year, every time they Scott says he thinks it’s a generational thing, saw each other in the cafeteria, they broke away that Boomer parents didn’t express affection from their group and met in a hug. Cute as it with their children. Maybe. I do remember that was, they had to learn to stay with their class and we weren’t always told how wonderful we were just make funny faces at each other. or how good we were at something. Somehow People who hug easily seem to also pop out “I the message I received was to be self-sufficient love yous” with ease. Neither of those things and to not bother people. come naturally to me. I was talking about this I also know that despite not being in a family with Stan’s college buddy, Scott, who was in of huggers, I still felt loved. I guess I thought that Houston recently from Minneapolis soaking up saying it was kind of like stating the obvious, like some winter warmth while basking in old UT the sky is blue. But Dr. Westendarp believes friendships. other things to be true. “I believe that chronic “When one of those guys says I love you I stress is one of the most significant contributors cringe,” Scott admits. He cringes because it’s to chronic illness across the board. There is a lot hard to say it back. “Someone told me to just put of value to connecting with other people and the word man in there, like I love you too, man.” doing it genuinely.”

I get it. I love Stan’s three sisters, all huggers, This year, I’m going in more for the hug. who all tell me they love me. I hate to admit

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NEIGHBORS

by Andria Dilling, staff writer

A Gift of Gratitude Writing to fulfill a promise

W

hen Gem Rigsby was 67, the acclaimed herbalist, artist, and author found herself unable to read, write, or even speak.

Upon waking up from surgery for a benign brain tumor the size of a plum, Gem’s words were jumbled, and she was told she might not ever be able to read or write well again. Gem, now 84, had already written, illustrated, and published a book of spiritual devotionals called Herb Seed for Thought, which she says was inspired by the ways she felt the divine reflected in her garden. She also was a pioneer in Texas, founding an herb farm that supplied fresh herbs to the most acclaimed chefs and restaurants in the state. Herb Seed for Thought made such an impression that Gem was invited to read from it at the Washington National Cathedral in observance of the 1999 National Day of Prayer.

Days after returning home from “one of our nation’s most sacred places,” where Gem says she had “one of the most meaningful experiences of my life,” and a day before her 40th wedding anniversary (with husband Terry Rigsby), Gem underwent the brain surgery that removed a tumor but left a wake of other challenges.

Knowing that she was a writer and painter, Gem’s surgeon at UTMB in Galveston, Dr. Jeffrey Chen, challenged her: “Prove me wrong, Gem!” he said. “Write that next book!”

To do that, Gem would need to relearn everything she loved – gardening, painting, reading, writing. “The doctor would say, ‘Does your head hurt?’ and I would have to ask, ‘What part of me is that?’

“Reading is still and always will be extremely difficult,” Gem says. “When I’m tired or upset, I use wrong words that sound right to me but aren’t. Proper nouns and numbers are especially complex.” It took three years for Gem to learn the alphabet and how to count on her fingers.

As she recovered, Gem painted. “I played with the paint,” she says. “Remembering the names of the faces I was painting wasn’t as important as what I was seeing with my eyes.”

Not so suddenly, Gem found herself with a studio full of watercolors. Over 15 years, she sketched her four children, nine grandchildren,

STORY OF A BOOK After undergoing brain surgery, Gem Rigsby learned to write, read, and paint again as she wrote and illustrated her children's book There Is a Little Toe.

five great-grandchildren, friends, and neighbors.

She surveyed her collection of artwork, and a new project began to take shape.

Gem’s next book, the one that Dr. Chen challenged her to write, came to life. There Is a Little Toe was born. “I promised the Lord if he would let me learn to read again, I would write another book and make it for children,” Gem says.

“In the book, I could share what I was learning with tiny children, on their level, helping them learn the names of ears and fingers and toes right along with me.” The book, she says, is about “all the ways our bodies make us the unique people God created us to be.”

Gem’s daughter, designer Lana Rigsby, is proud of the way her mom turned hardship into something beautiful. “The book is uplifting and inclusive, depicting children of all shapes, sizes, and colors,” she says. It’s also bilingual: each page is printed in both English and Spanish.

Granddaughter Annie Powell, a senior at The University of Texas at Austin, says of the book, “It’s almost like a memory book of my family, and it brings back a lot of memories of times spent at my grandmother’s farm. There’s a paint-

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ing of me brushing my teeth!”

There Is a Little Toe is not for sale – Gem donates copies, or, if the book is purchased from her website, she donates the money to missionaries in Indonesia. Last fall, after Gem took a case of books to Texas Children’s Hospital, they commissioned a special edition of 200 copies of There Is a Little Toe to be placed in the Pi Beta Phi Patient/Family Library and more than 150 Book Nooks in the TCH system. Gem started a GoFundMe to cover costs of the special print, and it was fully funded by friends and family in less than a week. She and Lana personally delivered the books to the hospital.

Just like Herb Seed for Thought, There Is a Little Toe ends with a prayer: For all the things my body does that makes me so unique, I say a little prayer of thanks for all that makes me, me.

“I am very grateful for the gift of this new life and for every responsibility this new life has given to me,” Gem says. “We all have gifts.

What is your gift? How can you use it to help someone else?”

To learn more about Gem and There Is a Little Toe, go to gemrigsby.com.

Get Your Morning Buzz Every weekday morning, enjoy your coffee + the buzz in your inbox. Our e-newsletter, Morning Buzz, features buzzworthy stories about neighbors every day, Monday-Friday.

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WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ FEBRUARY 2025 11

NEIGHBORS

by Ben Portnoy, staff writer

Dylan Aguilar

Brain Rot It was the ‘word of the year’

A

s the year 2024 drew to a close, Oxford University Press announced that the Word of the Year was “brain rot.” This was the result of a vote of more than 37,000 people who chose it from a short list of six words that reflected “the moods and conversations that have helped shape the past year.” Never mind that it is actually two words.

Oxford Press explained in the Word of the Year announcement that “brain rot” is defined as the “supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material considered to be trivial or unchallenging.”

Turns out the first use of “brain rot” was in 1854 by Henry David Thoreau in his book Walden. Thoreau was criticizing society’s preference for simple ideas over complex ones that may be interpreted in multiple ways. Brain rot was not the 1854 word of the year, so let’s move on.

In the 2024 announcement, Oxford Press was more specifically pointing to the impact of “excessive amounts of low-quality online content, especially on social media.” Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, adds, “I find it fascinating that the term ‘brain rot’ has been adopted by Gen Z and Gen Alpha, those communities largely responsible for the use and creation of the digital content the term refers to.” In case you are not tuned in to the generations, Gen Z are people born 1995-2012, and Gen Alpha kids are born from 2013 to the present.

Observing my teenage grandchildren (all Gen Z or Gen Alpha creatures) spending vast amounts of time on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and other sites, I catch the intent of the Oxford decision. But I, too, feel some brain rot, and I do not frequent these sites. However, I do receive emails from such sites as Word Smarts, Interesting Facts, Word Daily, and Things You Didn’t Know. Now, how can you possibly pass up Things You Didn’t Know?

One entry I read on one of these sites asked, “Why is a week seven days?” When I clicked on that, I realized I had been baited. The actual article was “25 Everyday Mysteries Solved.” I

WORDS AND WISDOM Ben Portnoy ponders “brain rot,” which was named Oxford University Press’ 2024 Word of the Year.

admit I did not have the energy for 25 mysteries, so I skipped that entry.

How could anyone not open “8 LesserKnown Facts About Princess Diana?” Did you know that Diana left school at 16? And did you know that she went clubbing once with Freddie Mercury? Now I know, and I also know six other important facts about her. But I forget what those were.

Since birdwatching is a hobby of mine, I did read “Why Birds Don’t Get Electrocuted on Power Lines.” I actually knew the answer, but I read this offering anyhow. I was rewarded. I already understood that a bird does not complete an electrical circuit perched on a wire, so it does not get zapped. But sometimes if the bird has a particularly wet and voluminous excretion, that may create a circuit and electrocute Tweetie. Ouch.

Some of these email articles make me wonder who comes up with the titles. For instance, “How to Tell If Someone Is Ignoring Your Texts.” I kind of think this might define brain rot better than Casper Grathwohl did as cited earlier in this article.

Information from these sites really might improve your life in some way. I read one titled

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“8 Crunchy Facts About Breakfast Cereal.” It was underwhelming to learn that Cheerios used to be called Cheerioats. I admit that I didn’t care, but then I read that Froot Loops are all the same flavor. Hmm. I used to think the yellow ones tasted better than the red ones.

You might have been ignorant of the “6 Satisfying Facts about Soda.” Well, I learned that Pepsi pioneered the use of 2-liter bottles in 1970. I also now know that 7UP in 1936 contained the mood stabilizer Lithium. That was removed in 1948, so now 7UP will not alter your mood unless a burp does that for you.

Let’s reflect for a moment on these tantalizing emails. Are they a dangerous source of modernday brain rot for Boomers or those even older?

Or is brain rot solely a byproduct of scrolling social media for hours a day? I guess I really do not know. From now on, I am not going to open Interesting Facts or similar sites. I am going to spend my time watching videos of dachshunds doing cute things, guys catching huge fish, young folk doing dance routines, or would-be chefs making things I cannot identify. I don’t think my grandchildren’s brains are particularly rotten, so I guess I’ll be OK. Wonder what the 2025 Word of the Year will be.

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ARTS

by Cindy Burnett, staff writer

In Their Golden Age Cindy Burnett

When older protagonists take center stage

THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB The success of The Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman created a market for many other books starring older individuals.

E

very few years, a new trend sweeps the publishing industry when a highly successful book spawns a new sub-genre. After Twilight

by Stephenie Meyer was a smashing success, a plethora of vampire titles published. Following the popularity of The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, dystopian novels, particularly for young adults, were all the rage. In 2020, The Thursday Murder Club, a novel by Richard Osman about four septuagenarians who solve crimes, took the world by storm, and a screen adaptation is now on its way. Now, older protagonists are having their day, so I am highlighting some of the entertaining titles in this sub-genre.

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston (fiction) – Eighty-two-year-old Frederick Fife is on the brink of homelessness due to medical debt incurred from his wife’s cancer treatments. While contemplating his next steps, he encounters a deceased man in a wheelchair who he attempts to assist, but instead Frederick stumbles, causing the man and Frederick’s wallet

to wash away in the river. Bernard Greer, the deceased man, was suffering from dementia, and so despite Frederick’s objections, the group whisks him back to the nursing home, thinking he is Bernard. The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife hits all the right notes: It is funny, hopeful, poignant, touching, and engaging.

How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley (fiction) – Clare Pooley has perfected the art of writing feel-good books with depth and lots of humor. Lydia’s new job as the director of the Senior Citizens’ Social Club is not what she expects it to be. She plans card games and puzzles for the members, but this group of seniors wants to do exciting activities like skydiving.

When the city council proposes selling the local community center where the group meets, the Social Club and the parents of the daycare housed in the center join forces to fight back.

Pooley crafts a tale filled with engaging characters (many of them older), each with their own unique backstory, who come together to accom-

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plish a goal while all sorts of hilarity ensues.

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn (mystery) – This delightful and thought-provoking mystery stars four women, Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie, who have been employed by the Museum, an elite network of assassins, for four decades. When the Museum sends them on a fabulous vacation to celebrate their retirement, the women quickly determine that their trip is a ruse because they are being targeted by someone within the Museum. Through experience and working together, they prove that their age and gender are positives versus negatives. Combining humor, reflections on what it means to age, and a clever mystery, Killers of a Certain Age is a must-read for mystery lovers.

A sequel arrives this spring.

The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise

by Colleen Oakley (fiction) – This not-to-bemissed gem stars 21-year-old college dropout Tanner Quimby and 84-year-old Louise Wilt who are thrown together (continued on page 16)

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Cindy Burnett

Cindy Burnett

OF A CERTAIN AGE If you enjoy books with older protagonists that are humorous and heartwarming, Cindy Burnett recommends How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley and The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley. (continued from page 14) when

Louise’s family decides she needs a live-in caregiver and Tanner’s family decides she needs to quit feeling sorry for herself. One evening, Louise wakes Tanner up and insists that they leave immediately (in a car Tanner didn’t even know existed) and head across the country. This book is delightful from page one, and I wish I could take a road trip with Tanner and Louise.

The One-in a Million Boy by Monica Wood (fiction) – Before the book begins, Ona Vitkus, a 104-year old woman, and an eccentric 11-year old boy (whose name the reader never learns) have become friends while the boy helps out weekly around Ona’s house as part of a Boy Scout project to earn a badge. As the story opens, the reader quickly learns that the boy has died. His father Quinn, who was rarely around and is now feeling guilty for his poor job as a father, has agreed to complete the remaining seven weeks that the boy had with Ona to earn his badge and the two bond as they mourn the boy’s death. Monica Wood vividly portrays what it is like to live 104 years and everything that comes with living that long. While this sounds very sad (and it is at times), it is also a beautifully crafted and touching book.

The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 ¼ Years Old by Hendrik Groen (fiction) – Groen hilariously and poignantly chronicles daily life as an 83-year-old. When he begins writing in his diary, he has two people he counts as friends, Evert who lives in the apartment section of the home and Anja, the assistant to the administrator of the nursing home. The diary provides

Groen an outlet for his frustrations about growing old and spurs him to make something of the life he has left. By the time the year is over, he has an entire group of friends, the Old-But-NotYet-Dead Club, loyal and kind individuals who work to help each other. While Groen tells many funny tales, he also addresses some very important and pressing issues in today’s society, including funding and care for the aged, Alzheimer’s, and euthanasia.

Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy (fiction) – Over the course of two weeks in a small English town, a reclusive elderly widow discovers an unexpected reason to live when she encounters and then adopts a little mouse. This tiny creature inadvertently requires Helen to speak to other people, to share her existence with another living creature, in fact several. Despite herself, she comes to care for this little intruder in her home.

Along the way, she makes friends, which opens up her world and her views on life. Sipsworth is a reminder that there can be second chances.

The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen (mystery) – Purity, a small seaside village in Maine, is home to a group of retired CIA agents including Maggie Bird, who has been enjoying a quiet life with her chickens following a long career that ended with a mission gone wrong. She, as well as several other former agents, are thrust back into an old operation when a dead body turns up on Maggie’s driveway. The maturity of the well-developed characters as well as the spy aspects of the tale combine to make The Spy Coast a standout. A sequel comes out this spring.

The Thursday Murder Club series by

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Richard Osman (mystery) – Four septuagenarians – a former spy, a retired nurse, a still-practicing psychologist, and a former trades-union official – living in a retirement community in Kent meet in the puzzle room on Thursdays to discuss unsolved cases. When a murder happens near their community, they find themselves with a real case to tackle, and they set out to solve it themselves. There are now four books in the series with more to come eventually.

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto (mystery) – Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is a laugh-out-loud mystery set in San Francisco’s Chinatown. When 60-year-old Vera Wong finds a dead body in her tea shop, she calls the police, but not until after taking a flash drive from the dead man’s hand and hiding it. Frustrated with the police’s investigative work, she decides to do a little detective work herself. Corralling the four individuals who stop by the shop following the body’s discovery, Vera works to crack the case while inadvertently making new friends with the people she is sure are suspects. Filled with humor and hijinks, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is a delight from beginning to end. A sequel to Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers publishes in early April.

Editor’s note: Cindy Burnett also writes our weekly Page Turners column at thebuzzmagazines.com. She hosts an award-winning book podcast entitled Thoughts from a Page Podcast www.thoughtsfromapage.com, runs the Instagram account @thoughtsfrompage, and regularly speaks to groups about books.

lawellphoto.com

NEIGHBORS

by Pooja Salhotra, staff writer

Rolling Forward With help from family and community

J

effrey Feinstein is often spotted rolling through Bellaire with his 7-year-old daughter Julia on his lap, the father-daughter duo cracking jokes as they whiz past neighbors.

Afterwards, Jeffrey might putz around the house with his 11-year-old twin boys George and Joshua, who will whoop their dad in a round of video games.

Jeffrey might then field a call from a medical professional who knows Jeffrey is the guy to contact when someone with a spinal cord injury needs help: A patient’s power wheelchair needs a replacement battery; an adult receiving treatment in Houston’s medical center doesn’t have reliable transportation back home to Louisiana; a family in Mexico can’t afford to buy a wheelchair for their handicapped daughter.

“If we see an opportunity to help somebody, we’re just going to try to get it done,” Jeffrey shared at his family’s home on what appeared to be a typical Saturday afternoon. Jeffrey sported a green baseball cap, and his wife Alli wore athleisure. Their daughter Julia plopped herself right on top of the kitchen table and swung her legs forward and back while her brother Joshua lay on the couch watching a football game, and George played outside with neighbors.

Rewind six years, and this family portrait looked very different. Jeffrey was in a hospital bed in Houston’s medical center while the waiting room overflowed with his family, friends, and well-wishers. They all wanted to tell Jeffrey they loved him.

For Jeffrey, life was upside down.

The then 32-year-old had just suffered a devastating spinal cord injury while on vacation in Mexico with Alli and longtime friends. It was October 10, 2018 and, in a split second, Jeffrey went from diving into a hotel swimming pool to quadriplegic, paralyzed from the chest down and on a life flight back to Houston for emergency surgery.

The following days were a whirlwind. A week in the intensive care unit was followed by rehab at TIRR Memorial Hermann. A few days later, it was back to the ER for an unexpected appendectomy.

“It was one step forward and one step back,” says Jeffrey’s younger sister Emily Jalnos, who

FAMILY FIRST Jeffrey Feinstein's life turned upside down when he suffered a spinal cord injury in 2018. He says spending time with family has helped him move forward. Jeffrey (center) is pictured with his wife Alli, twin boys George and Joshua, and daughter Julia.

lives in Bellaire with her husband Brandon Jalnos and their two children.

After a 40-day stint of intensive rehabilitation, Jeffrey was discharged from the hospital. It was two days before his 33rd birthday and the start of the holiday season.

“It was like, ‘Okay Jeffrey, this is what you wanted. You wanted to get back into it,’” Jeffrey said.

But there was a long journey ahead. Jeffrey was still adapting to life in a wheelchair, and it would take months to master everyday tasks such as eating with adaptive utensils, using a laptop, and driving. Jeffrey’s injury left him with limited movement in his arms – he can flex his biceps but not his triceps, for instance – and no direct movement in his fingers. It would be a slow progression toward greater independence.

“It wasn’t like, ‘okay let’s rock and roll,’” says Jeffrey, who works in the oil and gas finance sector. “Things were progressing in inches, not feet or miles.”

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Jeffrey continued outpatient therapy three to four times a week, and in the spring of 2019, he returned to TIRR for two more weeks of rehab.

All the while, Jeffrey’s community rallied in support. Within a small radius of the Feinstein’s Bellaire home resides Jeffrey’s parents, Michael and Judy Feinstein, as well as Alli’s parents, Scott and Leslie Bormaster. Also nearby are Alli’s brother, Brian Bormaster and family, the Jalnos family, and dozens of friends who grew up with Jeffrey, a graduate of The Kinkaid School and the University of Texas at Austin. Those individuals and more have helped Jeffrey and Alli through the physical, logistical, and emotional challenges of life post-injury.

In the days after the accident, so many people visited Jeffrey in the ICU that they couldn’t all fit in his hospital room. “People were just standing there waiting to go in,” said Stacey Tally, Jeffrey’s older sister, who lives in North Carolina with her family but flew to Houston after

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QUALITY TIME Top left photo: Julia enjoys hearing stories from her dad Jeffrey while they roll through Bellaire. Right photo: Alli and Jeffrey have known each other since they were children and have been married for almost 14 years. Bottom left photo: Jeffrey and Alli receive love and support daily from family and friends. Pictured are parents Michael and Judy Feinstein plus their three children with their spouses – Emily and Brandon Jalnos, Stacey and Jesse Tally, and Jeffrey and Alli Feinstein – and their eight grandchildren, Sam, Cowles, and Wells Tally, Mila and Hattie Jalnos, and George, Joshua and Julia Feinstein on vacation together in San Antonio last summer.

Jeffrey’s injury. A GoFundMe page raised more than $300,000 to help offset medical expenses and at-home care.

“Jeffrey had a circle around him,” said Jeffrey’s dad, Michael, who still texts his son every evening letting him know: “I’m available if you need me.”

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few months post-accident, Jeffrey and Alli were hanging out at their friends Eric and Allie Danziger’s place. As they chatted, the two couples brainstormed how they would mark the one-year anniversary of Jeffrey’s injury. By this point, Jeffrey had made considerable progress: He was back to work and had learned to use adaptive tools such as grabbers and gloves that helped him perform key tasks on his own.

“This is an ultimate game changer,” Jeffrey

said while showing off the grabbing tool, which is designed for individuals who can move their wrists but not their fingers. “I don’t have to ask somebody to do something for me.”

Jeffrey had taken note of his reality and how it differed from other patients’. Many people he met who had spinal cord injuries were young men who hadn’t yet built a career, their own family, or a network that could help them ease back into their lives after a devastating accident.

“They didn’t happen to be at the place in life that Jeffrey was in,” Stacey explained. “They didn’t have an incredible job in oil and gas in Houston. They didn’t have a wife. They didn’t have three kids.”

Jeffrey uses the grabbing tool for a range of tasks, from putting clothes in the washing machine to picking up toys off the ground to

putting away groceries.

Grabbers and other adaptive tools can be prohibitively expensive and are not always covered by health insurance, Jeffrey said. If everyone who needed one could obtain one, they too might find greater independence.

With that in mind, Jeffrey, Alli, and the Danzigers came up with an idea to pay it forward – the Walk & Roll for SCI (an acronym for spinal cord injury). They’d host a two-mile race followed by a family-friendly celebration as a fundraiser.

“We had such a big community,” Jeffrey said.

The idea was “let’s leverage that community and share it. Let them be your community, too.”

Planning for the event began immediately.

Allie texted her friend who owns 8th Wonder Brewery and quickly secured the spot. With the help of many volunteers, (continued on page 20)

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Jaime Leigh Sonnier Meredith Symonds Photography

WALK & ROLL Top photo: George, Julia, Alli, Jeffrey, and Joshua Feinstein (pictured, from left) joined nearly 800 others for a one-mile trek that raised $165,000 for the 2024 Walk & Roll for SCI. Bottom left: Family members participated in the first annual fundraiser, created by Jeffrey and Alli Feinstein along with Eric and Allie Danziger. Bottom right: Volunteers Leslie Sutin, Erin Skalak, Nicole Dobbs, Alli Feinstein, Dara Frankel, Lindsay Cohen, Allie Danziger at the 2024 fundraiser. Not pictured are dozens of other dedicated volunteers, including Julie Blumberg and Amira Staller. (continued from page 19) the

event successfully came together, drawing about 1,000 people and raising $100,000.

As the years have passed, the annual race has continued each October. The event details have shifted. During Covid, the race was transformed for a year into a set of pop-up stations across Bellaire households that each offered a different activity. Since then, the race has been shortened to a one-mile course within Bellaire in which participants of all ages and abilities walk, stroll, or scooter, followed by a huge, inclusive community gathering with music and activities such

as bounce houses, face painting, rock climbing, wheelchair basketball, crafts, and more.

Volunteers from the community lend a hand before and during the event. More than 100 volunteers helped last year, Allie said. This year’s event will take place on Oct. 5 at Evelyn’s Park.

Family and friends are already excited.

“It’s a huge fun party,” said Jeffrey’s mom Judy.

As the Walk & Roll has evolved and grown, so too have the organization’s funding efforts. In addition to donating tangible items such as grabbers or voice-controlled devices, the organization gives money to people with spinal cord injuries

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for expenses ranging from building a ramp to their home to paying for mental health therapy.

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ife post-injury isn’t always easy. “We have struggles every day,” said Alli, who works as a reading interventionist at Condit Elementary, the same school her and Jeffrey’s kids attend.

“It’s a constant struggle, and we have different struggles every day.”

Sometimes Jeffrey wishes for triceps – those muscles would allow him to more easily transfer from his chair to his bed, and to enjoy more activities with his kids, including throwing a

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basketball or catching a baseball.

Challenges come up in simple activities, too, like going to a public event. Something as seemingly straightforward as watching their daughter perform in a school play takes considerable foresight, planning, and coordination for Jeffrey and Alli. In advance of the play, they must check if Jeffrey’s wheelchair can fit through the venue’s doors, whether there’s an elevator, and where Jeffrey can sit during the show.

“It’s a whole process,” Jeffrey said. “And then there’s actually showing up.”

Despite the hurdles, Jeffrey and Alli’s mentality is to continue pushing forward while maintaining a positive outlook.

“We aren’t going to sit and sulk,” Alli said.

“This is our life, and we have to live it.”

To manage post-injury mental stress, Jeffrey said he has made talk therapy part of his weekly schedule. Doing so has helped him understand and process uncomfortable feelings such as anger, sadness, and envy.

“You’re trying to organize this bucket of emotions,” Jeffrey said. “How do you internalize it?

How do you come out of it?”

Through the challenges, he has maintained his sense of humor and friendliness, according to friends and family.

“Jeffrey doesn’t allow us to be doom and gloom,” said his mom, Judy. “He’s always got a smile.”

Jeffrey says it’s Alli who is “the engine” that keeps the household running each day. She wakes up at 5:30 a.m. and ensures the kids are ready for school, taking on many of the stresses of modern-day life and parenthood.

“It’s a lot to manage, and from my perspective, it’s crazy impressive,” Jeffrey said.

In 2021, Jeffrey enrolled in a therapy-based driver’s ed class designed for people with unique driving needs. He secured a driver’s license and, the following year, obtained a wheelchair-accessible van that was adapted to his needs. Instead of pedals, he operates the car through hand controls. Driving opened up new opportunities for Jeffrey – driving to work, picking up groceries, dropping the boys off at baseball practice. On days off, daughter Julia loves going with her dad to Claw Mania, an arcade in Chinatown with dozens of claw machines. “I can do things to be present in the way I want to be as a father, husband, friend,” Jeffrey said.

On several occasions, he’s packed up the van and driven across Texas with a caretaker for family trips to Fredericksburg, New Braunfels, and San Antonio. He’s also driven out of state to Vail, Colorado and to Disney World.

Those trips are physically challenging but rewarding. And when an opportunity presents itself, Jeffrey says to grab it and leave no room for regret.

“It makes no sense to look in the rearview mirror and say, ‘Oh I should have done that,” Jeffrey said. “If there’s an opportunity, just take it.”

New opportunities have been coming Jeffrey’s way lately. This year, he and Alli are chairing

GETTING REEL Top photo: Alli and Jeffrey are chairs of this year's ReelAbilities Houston Film and Arts Festival, an annual showcase highlighting people with disabilities. Pictured at last year's festival are (back row, from left) Judy Feinstein, Emily Jalnos, Kelly and Brian Masel; (front row, from left) Alli and Jeffrey Feinstein, Leslie Bormaster, and Kim Bormaster. Bottom photo: Jeffrey achieved greater independence in 2021 after learning to drive using hand controls in a wheelchair-accessible van.

the ReelAbilities Houston Film and Arts Festival, a three-week annual event promoting inclusion for people with disabilities. Organized by the JFS Houston Alexander Institute for Inclusion, the festival runs Feb. 2-23 and includes an art showcase, speakers, film screenings, music, and programming for Houston-area schools. As festival chairs, Jeffrey and Alli, along with co-chairs Jamie Wolf, Rori Feldman, and Sandi Helfman Wolf, help select the material showcased at the festival. Most events are free to attend and open to the public but do require online registration.

“The festival is built around the idea of inclusion, the idea of advocating for those who don’t have an easy ride, an easy walk, to doing any-

thing,” Jeffrey said. “It’s a way to show the city of Houston all these fascinating stories and movies and artwork that may have been passed over.”

Jeffrey and Alli also came up with a new event called ReelCommunity where attendees can participate and learn about inclusive activities including pickleball, arts, and dance.

“It’s a pilot year so we don’t know what it’s going to be like or what will happen, but we are all very hopeful,” Jeffrey said.

Editor’s note: To see the ReelAbilities festival schedule and to register for ReelAbilities events, visit www.reelabilitieshouston.org/. To find out more about the 2025 Walk & Roll for SCI, see www.walkandrollsci.org/.

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SPORTS

by Annie Blaylock McQueen, staff writer

The Wilchester Men’s Club Big Pineapple Productions

Philanthropy through fraternity and football

EAST TEAM TAKES THE WIN The Wilchester Men’s Club’s East team, led by captains Jorge Martinez and Brandon Fleetwood, secured victory at the Pecan Bowl 2024 in December.

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n a crisp fall Saturday by the campus of Wilchester Elementary School, families gathered at a nearby football field for an annual tradition that draws a Houston community together. Large tents are set up, excitement is high, and nerves even higher as the annual Wilchester Men’s Club Pecan Bowl football season kicks off.

Wilchester Men’s Club is a beloved nonprofit organization made up of men of all ages committed to contributing to the community, raising money for charity, and having a fun time together. It was founded in 2010 by neighbors Rick Byrd, Jeff Gentil, Steve Vierra, Jack Emery, Paul Oliphant, and Doug Goodson when they saw an opportunity to create a club that is not only fun but raises money for charity.

“What started as an occasional happy hour

event for dads evolved into a formal 501c (3) nonprofit focused on driving philanthropy through fraternity in our small pocket of west Houston,” said one of the founding members, Jeff Gentil. Over time, the club evolved into what it is today, with 600 members who come together for camaraderie, charity, and friendship.

Membership for the club is free, based on a donation model, and open to men of all ages who reside in the zip code 77079 zoned to Wilchester Elementary. Since its inception, the WMC has donated more than $600,000 to local causes, with annual contributions now exceeding $85,000 to $100,000. The club expects to surpass $100,000 in donations in 2025.

“We’re here to do good,” said WMC president John Buri. “Whether it’s lifting up our

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community, strengthening bonds within the neighborhood, or teaching our kids the value of serving others, it’s about creating something bigger than ourselves.”

The traditions have grown over time, and a favorite tradition, the annual Pecan Bowl Football Tournament, is still going strong 15 years later. It started when some of the founding members rallied 30 dads to meet on New Year’s Day for a flag football game. But the Pecan Bowl is about more than just competition. “[Pecan Bowl] has taken on a life of its own,” said Jeff. “There are now uniforms, team yard signs, a few hundred fans, sponsors, and most importantly, the opportunity to give back.”

Each year, the tradition continues, with players who come back year after year, fresh players

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A NEIGHBORHOOD TRADITION The Wilchester Men’s Club hosts the annual Pecan Bowl football tournament, bringing the community together while raising money for charity. Four flag football teams – East, West, South, and North – compete in semi-final matchups leading to a championship game. Pictured: (top photo, at left) Nathan Hill; (top photo, at right) Brady McBride (with the ball); (bottom photo, at left) David Adame (in coverage); Charles Chapline (with ball); Stuart Wilhite (receiver); (bottom photo, at right) Matt Worsham (in red); and Chase Gentry.

who have recently moved to the neighborhood, and players who have hung up their cleats who come to cheer from the sidelines.

“Everyone in the neighborhood looks forward to the Pecan Bowl each year,” said member John Hampton. “It is a really fun tradition and at the end of the day, it raises money for all of our giving partners.”

The teams are made up of men – ranging in age from 30s-50s – from the club. The teams face off in two semi-final games which rotates opponents annually – this year, it was West versus South and East versus North; in 2025, it will be North versus South and East versus West – with a final championship game just before Christmas.

The football field at Westchester Academy is now known as the "Taco Cabana Memorial Stadium," a nickname affectionately given to the

field for its proximity to the nearby Taco Cabana.

This cherished tradition has become the highlight of the year for families of all ages, from toddlers to teens. While players battle it out on the field, fans wave streamers, sip coffee, and share Shipley’s donuts while kids toss footballs around the sidelines.

This year’s Pecan Bowl XIV kicked off with a chili cookoff and happy hour in November, setting the stage for the next four weeks of competition and community spirit. Each fall, its members train in late-night practices after the kids go to bed, and strategy planning sessions to prepare for the Pecan Bowl. Four teams representing the neighborhood’s four sections – East, North, South, and West – compete for the coveted championship title. This year, East took home the big trophy.

Team captains led the teams: Matt Cooper

and Todd Porter (North), Jorge Martinez and Brandon Fleetwood (East), John Grygar and Jeff Peterson (South), and Rene Meza and Steven Craig (West). The action comes alive with spirited commentary from the WMC Broadcast Team, including John Buri, John Hampton, Grant Butrum, and Matthew Hawthorne, adding an ESPN-style flair to the game.

WMC board member and dad-of-two Matt Gronseth has played in the Pecan Bowl for the past nine years. He was forced to sit out during the championship game due to a torn hamstring in the playoff game. “It was really hard to not play in the final game,” said Matt. “But we have such a great group of guys. If someone gets hurt and must sit out, there are always more available to step in.” Matt also serves as the softball commissioner, planning the (continued on page 24)

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spring softball tournament, the Spring Classic.

In 2024, the club launched the “WMC PorchCast,” a video and audio podcast featuring various guest speaker members of the club, who gather on a member’s back porch to talk about neighborhood news, fatherhood, education, ideas, and community. The PorchCast episodes, including a recent one about Pecan Bowl XIV, can be found on Spotify and YouTube.

Family members of the club’s members also enjoy being a part of the experience. “When we first moved into the neighborhood, we did not know many people and I thought, ‘what is this football league my husband wants to do?’” said mom-of-three Alexis Valentine, whose husband Cory plays for East. “Five years later, it is something the whole family looks forward to being a part of, and the friendships we have made keep growing.”

Alexis said she enjoys cheering alongside the families at their kids' sporting events as well as on the sidelines of the Pecan Bowl. “One of my favorite things is not only the strong bond the men have for one another but the relationships the wives have formed,” she said. “We have spent most of our evenings cheering on our kids in some activity, and it is now the dads’ turn to show their leadership on the field.”

In addition to fun, the WMC focuses on youth outreach, education, and supporting neighbors in need. Beneficiaries include the Spring Branch Educational Foundation, Raise Up Families, Family Point Resources, and Sleep in Heavenly Peace.

According to Spring Branch ISD, 58 percent of the over 33,000 students in the school district are considered “economically disadvantaged,” and 52 percent are considered “at risk” of not graduating high school. In addition, low-income children have less access to books and computers, and parents are less involved in school activities. The WMC directs its resources to help overcome these limitations.

The club does not just write checks – members roll up their sleeves for community projects like school cleanup days and building beds for children in need as part of the "Build a Bed" initiative. The WMC also knows how to have fun. Seven themed happy hours throughout the year bring members together for barbecue, chili cookoffs, crawfish boils, and plenty of laughs. These gatherings help neighbors bond, welcome newcomers, and give a sense of belonging in a big city.

Beyond the Pecan Bowl, WMC hosts events like the Spring Classic Softball Tournament in February, WashToberFest washer competition, and the Battle for the Bayou golf tournament against the Nottingham Forest Men’s Club. Each event draws over 100 participants, where competition and camaraderie go hand in hand.

Members are of all life stages, from those raising toddlers to empty nesters. “One of my best friends I met through WMC has three daughters

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BROADCASTING THE ACTION Adding an ESPN-style flair to the event, the Pecan Bowl broadcast team brought energy and play-by-play commentary to the game. Here, they stand proudly with the trophy. Top photo, pictured, from left: WMC President John Buri, John Hampton, Matthew Hawthorne, and Grant Butrum.

Middle and bottom photo: The West Team matched up against the East in Pecan Bowl 2024.

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COMMUNITY SPIRIT Top photo: The East team celebrated a hard-fought win at the annual football tournament as confetti showered the fans. The annual event supports local charities in Houston. Middle left photo: The broadcast team keeps fans excited, including (from left) John Hampton, Grant Butrum, and John Buri. Right photo: David Lecky celebrates with teammate Ben Bredthauer. Bottom left photo: Walker Stanley cheers on his dad, Brett Stanley, from the sidelines.

in college, and I have a two-year-old,” said Walker Agnew, a board member.

“WMC gets credit for hosting great events, but our greatest contribution to the neighborhood is creating a sense of community that exists beyond the events,” said member Grant Butrum.

“Through our bonds, we can accomplish amaz-

ing things for our community. We exist to do good, and we use each event as our pulpit to reinforce that mission to our neighborhood.”

As the Wilchester Men’s Club gears up for its 15th anniversary in 2025, it is not just your runof-the-mill neighborhood social club – it is a community that builds bonds, makes a difference, and

creates traditions that will last for years to come.

See more about the Wilchester Men’s Club at www.wilchestermc.org. All those who live as permanent residents zoned to Wilchester Elementary are welcome and are automatically members by registering at the WMC website.

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NEIGHBORS

by Jennifer Oakley, staff writer

Recipe for a Sweet Space Mary Alford designs a meaningful room

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arks of welcome and a sign that reads “Young Dog, Old Dog & Several Stupid Dogs Live Here,” sets the lighthearted tone for the entry into Mary and Gene Alford’s new home. Once over the threshold, three fluffy Doodles (named Sam Houston, Pearl, and RudyTomOlajuwon, after their Lone Star roots) form a welcoming committee while bright colors, vivid patterns, and joyful folk art are everywhere. It’s a bit like walking into a rainbow with rays of sunshine beaming down onto all surfaces. Add to that the signature Odessa, Texas accent of Mary’s and visitors immediately want to sit down and stay awhile. And for Mary, that’s the point.

“Food is a magical thing,” smiles the blonde and vivacious Mary, a retired dentist. “Cooking and baking are my best gift to give because it takes my time and energy and I get to put myself in it. I learned that from my Mama and Grandmama. Food was a love language in our family. But it’s just the bait because people around the table is what really matters.” The intersection of meal prep and gathering around a table has been a key ingredient in her life.

After moving to the Boulevard Oaks area last year, Mary found the house easy to decorate and worked to ensure that the home was wheelchair accessible for husband Gene, who sustained a tractor injury in December 2007 that left him paralyzed from the waist down. But that front room continued to serve up a dilemma.

“We called it the ‘Too Small Room,’” laughs Mary. “Sometimes we called it the “Too Useless Room’ or the ‘Too Little Room.’ It was the room that screamed the most. It was just not right. I thought to myself, ‘I love everything we have done in the house, but this room is not pretty.’”

The unpretty room posed a design challenge with its four walls: one boasts a street-facing window, one a wide entrance with no doors, a third wall is short with a niche on one corner and a tiny, child-sized door on the other – and then there was the dramatic wall that was too tall, too broad, and too empty.

Although Mary wasn’t quite sure how to decorate the room, organically, along the way, the room also became a special and sacred place for the Alford children and grandchildren.

The niche in the first corner has angels: literal and figurative. A pair of carved wooden angels stand guard over framed photographs of son Charles who died in a car accident at age 16 in February 2009. “He’s still with us,” says Mary. RECIPE FOR LOVE Dr. Mary Alford used more than 1,500 of her family’s “He is still ours and we recipe cards to decorate an entire wall of a room off the entry of the home she shares with Dr. Gene Alford. Here, Mary and Gene enjoy slices of their favorite feel him here.” pound cake in front of her recipe wall. The pair have been married for 40 years Other photographs and cooking and baking is one of the ways Mary shows love. are of daughter Bess and does things,” smiles Mary. “And I opened the son John when they were young. Bess recently box and inside was this pile of cards.” And not married husband Darren Gore and John is marjust any old cards, but old recipe cards, specifiried to wife Lauren; together they have a daughcally those that had belonged to her family memter, Harper and son, Landon. The child-sized bers and their friends. “The cards were my mom’s door now opens to their grandchildren’s reading and my grandmama’s,” says Mary. “My mom was nook, replete with fairy lights and comfy chairs, one of seven children from the Panhandle and where Harper and Landon dive into books. there was no money there: the recipe cards were After living with the room “not right” for a the sweetest possessions they owned.” full year, Mary stumbled upon inspiration: a box Which is why, after Mary unpacked the cards, that she had neglected to open during their with their creased edges, distinctive handwriting, move. “The weird thing is that God sometimes

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hen Drs. Mary and Gene Alford moved into their bright and welcoming new home one year ago, everything seemed move-in ready – everything, that is, except the front room right off the foyer.

Although the space is diminutive in size, the tall ceiling and expanse of one wide wall vexed Mary. Turns out, opening up a forgotten packing box of recipe cards solved a decorating dilemma in the sweetest way.

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ELEVATED RECIPES After living with a “not right” room in her new home for a year, Mary stumbled upon inspiration: a box that she had neglected to open during their move. The box contained hundreds of old recipe cards that had belonged to family members and friends. "The cards were my mom’s and my grandmama’s,” says Mary. “My mom was one of seven children from the Panhandle and there was no money there: the recipe cards were the sweetest possessions they owned.” She felt it was meant to be.

many discolored by age, something clicked, and she decided she could not leave the cards tucked away. Touching the cards evoked memories of her entire life and she finally knew what to do: she was going to turn those cards into wallpaper.

“Here was this pile of cards that I could not get rid of and it appeared to me that I had plenty of them,” she recalls. “I measured the wall, and it is 14 feet wide by 10 feet tall. I did a lot of math and I thought to myself, if this is gonna work, it has to be carefully done.” The math indicated she needed 18 pieces of 18” x 30” foam core on which to carefully glue the recipe cards one by one. She researched what kind of glue to use on the foam board. After some visits to Texas Art Supply, Mary came home with acid-free foam board and glue to keep her antique cards in their best shape.

And she quickly realized she had to nail the boards to the sheetrock. “I did not want to make my painter mad, and I knew if I glued those suck-

ers, I would ruin it for generations,” she laughs.

“So, I got paneling nails from Southland Hardware and there are 12,000 holes in that wall now!” The number of nails is an exaggeration, but it goes to show the amount of precision it took to arrange and get those recipes in line. Mary estimates she used more than 1,500 recipe cards and it took her a solid two weeks of work to complete.

She notes getting started was time-consuming, but “it became simple once I had a pattern and figured out how to draw the lines.”

Husband Gene Alford, a facial reconstructive and plastic surgeon at Houston Methodist, says he loves Mary’s recipe wall. Which is no surprise, given that their 40-year marriage is one of love, laughter, faith, family and of course, food. “It’s so creative how she thought of that,” smiles Gene.

“And she spent so much time working on it. It was really a labor of love using her mother’s and grandmother’s recipes.” Gene adds that part of the beau-

ty of the wall is the surprise decor. “When she first showed the cards to me, they seemed kinda dingy and old,” he says. “But then you get them up there and the handwriting back in the day was so beautiful. The wall looks so beautiful.”

Mary did not arrange the cards by food type so the fun of looking at recipes up close is a smorgasbord of family go-tos: you can find Sunflower Salad next to Totie Chicken next to Super Hamburgers next to Layer Jam Cake and Strawberry Bread. “There is one card from 1931 for Ice Box Tea Rolls,” says Mary, who loves the history represented in her wall. “There is a good chance my Mama made that!”

Some of the items on the cards make Mary giggle. “One of the ingredients is shrimp in a can! A can for shrimp because it was the Panhandle,” she exclaims. “And another one: Mincemeat Cake – a pound of mincemeat!

What is that? No, I won’t (continued on page 28)

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(continued from page 27) eat it. And for some rea-

son there are a lot of microwave fish recipes!”

Mary also inherited recipes from friends of her family. “The recipe cards were acts of friendship that they shared,” says Mary. “And some of them, like if Verna Headlee’s name was on it, you knew it was good!”

Recipes, Mary realizes, are not only just for directions for cooking, but instructions for life. “When I went to college, my Mama handed a box of recipe cards to me,” notes Mary. “She said this is what you are gonna want.” Those recipes have taken her through college, dental school, marriage, children, and all the celebrations and all the sorrows in life.

“The recipe cards are really a storybook,” adds Mary.

“I knew my mom’s mom loved chocolate and the majority of her recipes are chocolate,” says Mary, who adds that she loves to make breads, biscuits, and cinnamon rolls. “And I make her Super Fudge Pie, which is famous. We call it ‘Big Elizabeth Pie’ or ‘Crack Pie’ and I make them and give them away. I once made five of them for a friend’s bachelor party!”

But the most special recipe of all in the Alford house is a pound cake. “My favorite is the Charles Alford Pound Cake,” says Gene, without missing a beat. “Charles knew how to make it and he would ask to make it.” Mary agrees, saying that the cake has become the sweetest reminder of their son. “Charles died on February 13th and my birthday is February 16th,” says Mary. “My friends wanted to celebrate me that year, but they knew I would not want to celebrate. So the following year my friend Tricia Oyer gave me a birthday party and she made a ton of his pound cakes and gave everyone a card with the recipe,” says Mary. “She is the best.”

Now, in addition to the treasure trove of her recipes, Mary has added Charles Alford’s Favorite Pound Cake. It calls for only seven ingredients and Mary says it tastes divine. A note at the bottom of the card reads: “We hope you enjoy this pound cake as much as Charles did!” In the Alford household, where people, memories, and tastes are savored, recipes make for good eating – and good decorating.

Charles Alford’s Favorite Pound Cake Recipe is from Mary Chenoweth Wright, Mary Alford’s grandmother, whom she is named after.

1 cup butter or shortening 3 cups sugar 6 eggs 1 cup buttermilk 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and mix. Mix baking soda into buttermilk and stir. Alternately, add flour and buttermilk mixture to creamed mixture. Stir in vanilla.

Bake in either a greased and floured large loaf pan or bundt pan for 45 minutes or until tester

FROM THE HEART Two of Mary’s favorite recipes honor family members who are no longer living: Superb Fudge Pie is a nod to Mary’s great-aunt and Charles Alford’s Favorite Pound Cake was the special pound cake her son used to make before his life was tragically cut short by a car accident when he was 16. A note at the bottom of the card reads: “We hope you enjoy this pound cake as much as Charles did!”

comes out clean.

We hope you enjoy this pound cake as much as Charles did!

Super Fudge Pie This 1963 recipe is from Elizabeth Chenoweth, Mary’s great-aunt. ½ cup butter 3 squares unsweetened baking chocolate 4 eggs 3 tablespoons white Karo syrup 1 ½ cups sugar ¼ teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon vanilla

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In top of double boiler or over low heat, melt butter and chocolate. Meanwhile, place the eggs in a mixing bowl and beat until light. Beat into the eggs the Karo syrup, sugar, salt, and vanilla.

Now, add the chocolate mixture (slightly cooled). Mix thoroughly and pour into a 9-inch pastry-lined pie pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, or until top is crusty and filling is set, but still somewhat soft inside. Do not over bake. Pie should shake like custard so it will not be too stiff when cool. This may be served plain, but is best served with a topping of vanilla ice cream.

Mary always serves this pie with whipped cream and adds seasonal berries if available.

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Cindy Burnett

ARTS

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by Cindy Burnett, staff writer

Buzz Reads

Five picks for February

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

Beartooth by Callan Wink (fiction) – Faced with losing their family home due to large medical bills following the loss of their father, two brothers, Hazen and Thad, struggle to make ends meet. Residing in Montana on the edge of Yellowstone National Park, the brothers resort to illegal poaching jobs to survive, including a large, risky one that goes awry. While the heist storyline is enthralling, the true draw of Beartooth is Wink’s ability to transport the reader to this stunning but often inhospitable landscape; the setting is brought to life so vividly.

Moreover, his characters are well drawn and complex, and the in-depth exploration of family relationships and the roles family dynamics play in those relationships is engaging. This short book packs a huge punch, and fans of Peter Heller’s books and other stories set in nature and the backwoods will love this melancholy but ultimately hopeful tale.

Dead Money by Jakob Kerr (mystery/thriller) – As one of the first employees at Airbnb, Jakob Kerr is intimately familiar with the world of startups and Silicon Valley, and his experiences inform this twisty, funny, and clever thriller. The controversial CEO of tech’s hottest startup Journy has just been murdered, leaving behind billions in “dead money” frozen in his will. Mackenzie Clyde, a fixer for the venture capital company that invested heavily in Journy, is brought in to consult and help solve the murder, but her help is not welcomed by the FBI. This intelligently constructed mystery into the wild and surreal world of the tech industry and startups where nothing is as it seems will keep readers on the edge of their seats; this debut is a clear standout in the genre. Dead Money will appeal to those who like smart thrillers that keep the reader guessing.

Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson (fiction) – Good Dirt is a novel rich in lore and history, weaving together the stories of the Freeman family ancestors and a stoneware jar that has been with the family for centuries with the current day narrative of Ebony “Ebby” Freeman, the main

character.

The Freemans are a prominent Black family whose young son Baz was murdered, a crime that is still not solved years later.

While the book jumps around in time a fair amount, I found it easy to follow and loved WHAT TO READ This month's selections include a historical fiction book set during the Harlem Renaissance, a beautiful novel about family legacies and a special that each perspec- stoneware jar, a fast-paced thriller set in the tech and startup world, a novel about surtive contributed to viving in a harsh landscape, and a family drama about grief and forgiveness. explaining the sigPenitence by Kristin Koval (fiction) – As nificance of the jar as well as who killed Baz. This the novel opens, 13-year-old Nora fatally shoots beautiful book will appeal to those who enjoy her 14-year-old brother Nico, who suffers from complex family dramas as well as character-drijuvenile Huntington’s, a debilitating disease ven tales focusing on family, trauma, loss, legawhich leads to an early death after exacting a cies, and love. Learning about the stoneware jars brutal toll on the body. While readers may made by slaves is an added bonus. expect the story to focus on why Nora commitHarlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher ted this act, instead the novel heads in a differMurray (historical fiction) – Victoria ent direction, dissecting the aftermath of the Christopher Murray shines the light on Jessie shooting and how it affects Nora and her expeRedmon Fauset, a woman whose accomplishrience with the legal system, her parents Angie ments and life are unknown to many. A puband David, and several other characters. The lished author in her own right, Fauset was the litsecond timeline explores Angie’s relationship as erary editor of The Crisis, the NAACP’s magazine a teenager with Julian, who becomes Nora’s that published pieces by the foremost Black writcriminal defense attorney, and the accident they ers of the time, including Langston Hughes, Nella were involved in that tore the two families Larsen, and Countee Cullen. W.E.B. Du Bois, a apart. This is not a happy story, but it is comwell-known civil rights activist, founded The pelling and well worth the read. I found myself Crisis, and due to his affair with Jessie Fauset, constantly contemplating how I would react to appointed her to this position to keep her in his the various hardships the characters endured, orbit. While readers may not understand or relate and I have not stopped thinking about the book to Jessie’s affair after learning about Du Bois’s since I finished it. Fans of complex family dranumerous affairs and behavior towards others he mas will enjoy this one, and it will make an felt were his competition, her work with The excellent book club selection.

Crisis is admirable and interesting and helped launch a generation of literary legends. Harlem Editor’s note: Book reviewer Cindy Burnett during the Roaring ’20s is a fascinating setting, also writes our weekly Page Turners column at and I loved getting a glimpse into the lives of peothebuzzmagazines.com. She hosts an award-winple like Langston Hughes before they were wellning book podcast entitled Thoughts from a Page established authors. This book is a good fit for Podcast www.thoughtsfromapage.com, runs the anyone who likes to learn about someone forgotInstagram account @thoughtsfrompage, and regten by history as well as those who love to be ularly speaks to groups about books. transported to another time period.

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NEIGHBORS

by Angie Frederickson, staff writer

The best is yet to come

Rebecca Davidson Photography

Rebecca Davidson Photography

Wedding Buzz

Rebecca Davidson Photography

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A FAMILY TRADITION Left photo: Lakshmi Achari and Rahul Rao are the second Achari generation to wed on Galveston Island in a traditional Indian ceremony. Top right photo: Family members gathered at The Tremont House for a weekend of festivities honoring the couple including singing, dancing, and poetry. Pictured, from left: Devesh Achari, Vasudev Achari, Ameeta Achari, Rahul Rao, Lakshmi Achari, Arup Achari, Asha Sanghani, Radhika Achari, Sachin Sanghani, and Gaurav Sanghani.

Bottom right: The bride and groom enjoy a moment together during their wedding reception.

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rom the first date to the honeymoon, and everything in between, these newlyweds have buzzy stories to tell. We wish them the best as they begin their exciting new chapters.

Lakshmi Achari + Rahul Rao When Lakshmi Achari and Rahul Rao started planning their wedding, they knew Galveston Island was the perfect spot. Lakshmi’s mother’s parents lived there for many years,

hosting holidays and summer vacations for the family. When her parents Arup and Ameeta Achari got married, they tied the knot at Moody Gardens in the first Indian wedding the resort had ever hosted.

This time, the traditional Indian wedding took place at The Tremont House in Galveston.

The wedding festivities included a Mehndi (applying henna to the bride), Haldi (blessed cleaning of the couple with turmeric), and

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Sangeet (night of song and dance before the ceremony to bless the couple and kick off the events). At the Sangeet, friends, family, and the couple performed dances, Lakshmi’s brother sang, and Lakshmi’s uncles recited poetry. The bride’s wedding jewelry included the same maang tikka (forehead ornament) that her maternal grandmother, mother, and sister wore at their weddings.

Lakshmi attended Bunker Hill and Memorial

Liz Banfield Photography

Liz Banfield Photography Liz Banfield Photography

TEXANS TAKE MASSACHUSETTS Top left photo: The Schwartz family and friends traveled from Houston to Boston to celebrate the wedding of Mitchell Schwartz and Katy Berk. Pictured, from left: Mike Schwartz, Cass Schwartz, Katy (Berk) Schwartz, Mitchell Schwartz, and Lauren Schwartz. Bottom left photo: The OG Condit Elementary boys reunited for a festive weekend. Pictured, from left: Alex Bishop, Garrett Browne, Mitchell Schwartz, Nikhil Roy, and Landon Goodman. Right photo: Katy Berk and Mitchell Schwartz wed in a beautiful ceremony at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Drive Elementary Schools, Spring Branch Middle School, and Memorial High School before moving onto Texas A&M University for a degree in psychology and minors in chemistry and creative studies. When she returned to Houston to attend the University of Houston law school, she met her future groom.

Rahul grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and is the son of Maheshwar and Mamta Rao. After graduating from Louisiana State University with degrees in political science and business administration, he pursued both a law degree and Master of Business Administration degree at the University of Houston.

The couple met in 2018 as law-school classmates. They began dating and Rahul proposed to Lakshmi inside the white gazebo at Brenner’s on the Bayou. Rahul surprised Lakshmi by hanging photos of the couple all around the gazebo, each with a handwritten note about the specific memory.

After the wedding, reception, and a relaxing

honeymoon in an overwater bungalow in the Maldives, the couple is now back in Houston.

Mitchell Schwartz + Katy Berk Hometown friends and family made the trip to Massachusetts to celebrate the marriage of Mitchell Schwartz and Katy Berk. Mitchell, son of Cass and Michael Schwartz of Bellaire, and Katy, daughter of Carly and Sam Berk of Cambridge, MA, were married at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Katy and Mitchell met in 2019 while both working in New York City.

They hit it off with many shared interests, especially a love of travel and the outdoors, and they connected over the fact that they are both avid skiers.

After attending Condit Elementary School and St. John’s School, Mitchell earned a degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently a vice president at American Securities LLC, a private equity firm in New York City.

Katy grew up in Cambridge, MA and graduated

from Buckingham, Browne & Nichols School, Georgetown University, and Columbia University Law School. She is now an associate attorney at Aksia LLC, an alternative financial investments firm in New York City.

Several of Mitchell’s longtime childhood friends attended the wedding to celebrate their friend-since-kindergarten. Alex Bishop, Garrett Browne, Landon Goodman, and Nikhil Roy have kept in touch over the years since first meeting at Condit Elementary School and enjoyed reuniting in Boston for the occasion.

The reception featured a Massachusetts favorite: lobster rolls. After the ceremony and before dinner was served, guests flocked to the passed local lobster delights that were a big hit for Massachusetts natives and Texas travelers alike. After dinner, the Condit crew and the rest of the guests gathered on the dance floor that was packed all night for hits played by Bostonbased band Splash! To (continued on page 36)

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KHCollective

KHCollective

KHCollective

GETAWAY NEWLYWEDS Left photo: Madison (Madi) Goeringer and Chris Simon’s love story began as co-counselors at Camp Periwinkle. They recently married at River Oaks Country Club. Top right photo: Two local families, the Simons and Goeringers, are now blended after an elegant wedding and reception. From left: Mia Simon, Chris Simon Sr., Judy Simon, Chris Simon Jr., Madi (Goeringer) Simon, Kurt Goeringer, Patricia Goeringer, and Alex Goeringer. Bottom right photo: The newlyweds waved goodbye to family and friends as they drove down River Oaks Boulevard in a vintage sports car that belongs to Billy Cohn, a childhood friend of the groom’s father. (continued from page 35) recover from all the festiv-

ities, the newlyweds then spent several weeks honeymooning in New Zealand.

Madi Goeringer + Chris Simon Newlyweds Madison (Madi) Goeringer and Chris Simon met while volunteering as camp counselors at Camp Periwinkle. The Periwinkle Foundation hosts overnight summer camps for patients facing cancer and other life-threatening illnesses and being treated at Texas Children’s Cancer Center. Volunteering at Camp Periwinkle was an impactful experience for both the bride and groom, and it became the site of their engagement when Chris proposed in front of the lake where they met.

Madi, daughter of Kurt and Patricia Goeringer, grew up in Houston and attended The Kinkaid School. She graduated from Vanderbilt University and is now a pediatric nurse practitioner. Chris, son of Chris and Judy Simon, attended Strake Jesuit and graduated

from The University of Texas at Austin. He now works in power sales and origination at Citi.

The couple was married at River Oaks Country Club, surrounded by friends and family, and then celebrated at the reception with live entertainment from Midtown 10. Guests enjoyed signature cocktails with custom monogramed ice cubes and an Astros-themed groom’s cake in a nod to Chris’ favorite team.

Before leaving town for a honeymoon on the Caribbean islands of Saint Martin and Anguilla, Chris and Madi left the reception in style. With Chris in the driver’s seat, they cruised away from the crowd in a 1959 Triumph TR3 that belongs to Billy Cohn, a childhood friend of the groom’s father.

Chloe Carter + Shane Stevens It all started with a swipe on the Hinge dating app. Chloe Carter and Shane Stevens made a digital connection while she was living in San Diego and he was in Houston. A month after

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meeting online, the couple met in person when Shane visited California, and they knew this was a relationship with a future. For the first year, Chloe and Shane got together monthly, alternating between Houston and San Diego, and filled in the rest of the time with FaceTime dates.

When they decided to spend all of their time together in person, Chloe left California and moved to Houston where she works as a registered nurse at Houston Methodist in the Texas Medical Center. Shane, a chemical engineer and technical product manager, has worked with Baker Hughes for 12 years.

Before settling in West University, Shane grew up in Sugar Land and then earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Houston. Chloe is a San Diego native, attending California State University and earning Bachelor of Science degrees in molecular biology and nursing.

The couple chose California for the wedding ceremony and reception at the La Jolla Cove

Brandon Colbert Photography

Brandon Colbert Photography Brandon Colbert Photography

DATING-APP SUCCESS Top photo: Chloe Carter and Shane Stevens said “I do” in an oceanfront ceremony in La Jolla, California. Bottom left photo: From swiping on the Hinge app to long-distance dating to wedded bliss, the bride and groom found forever love. Bottom right photo: Chloe and Shane bid wedding guests farewell and left for their honeymoon in Hawaii.

Rooftop by Wedgewood Weddings. The intimate ceremony took place in front of breathtaking ocean views, and the reception kicked off with a choreographed first dance to This Too Shall Last by Anderson East. Chloe and Shane placed handwritten notes at each place setting with personal messages for their guests, and gifted custom leather luggage tags as party favors.

Signature cocktails named for their Maltipoo pups, “The Toby-Rita” and “Oliver’s Mule,” were big hits with the guests.

After the wedding, the newlyweds traveled to Kauai, Hawaii (aka “The Garden Island”) for a honeymoon on the Napali Coast with plenty of hiking, boating, snorkeling, and visits to waterfalls. Chloe and Shane love adventures and plan

to continue traveling as husband and wife with ski trips planned for winter months and summertime national park hiking adventures.

Editor’s note: Congratulations to all of these newlyweds! If you were recently married and would like to submit your wedding to The Buzz, email us at info@thebuzzmagazines.com.

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TRAVEL

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by Tracy L. Barnett, staff writer

Travel Buzz

On the Slopes: From Aspen to the Alps

CHAMONIX SKI SQUAD Lunch break on the slopes, from left: Raj, Sruba De, Asher, and Siona Guharoy, Ozzie Bloom, Kai Guharoy, Oliver, Sara, Jeff and Owen Bloom.

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or the Bloom family of West U, skiing isn't just a vacation – it's a cherished tradition that spans generations. Sara Bloom, who grew up skiing with her family in South Dakota, introduced her husband Jeff to the sport when they met. “When I met him, I said, you need to learn to ski. And he did,” Sara recalls with a laugh.

Jeff, a New Orleans native, admits learning to ski as an adult wasn’t easy. "When you’re in your 30s, it’s not as easy as it is for a 5- or 6-year-old,” he says. “But I put my time in. I worked really hard. I was the first one out there, last one to leave, and years later, I’ve made my way to be able to ski almost anything with the family.”

That determination has shaped how the Blooms approached skiing with their three sons: Oliver (17), Owen (15), and Ozzie (13). “If you start them early, it becomes like riding a bike,”

Sara explains. “As soon as our kids were of age for ski school, we took yearly ski trips and we would put them in ski school.”

The family’s spring break ski trips, together with the Guharoys, their friends who also live in West U, have taken them across North America – from Copper Mountain to Whistler – but last year, they decided to venture further.

“We had pretty much gone to the popular ones,” Sara says. “We had been to Vail, we had been to Deer Valley, we went to Whistler in Canada, and to Big Sky, Montana. So we said, let’s think of something adventurous.”

The two Houston families set their sights on Chamonix in the French Alps.

For the Guharoys, the chance to ski both the French and Italian Alps in one trip was a major draw. “Just a 30-min drive between the two,” notes Sruba De Guharoy.

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The French Alps offered a dramatically different skiing experience from American resorts.

“The mountains are so much steeper and super large,” Sara describes. “Just to get to where you're going to ski, you have to take these cable cars and go all the way to the top of the mountain.”

While lift tickets were significantly cheaper – “You might only pay $35 a day to ski instead of $250,” Jeff notes – the European approach to ski infrastructure was notably different. “It's a little more rustic skiing,” Sara explains. “It's not like going and skiing in Vail where there's all these groomed trails for you and signs. It’s more like you're kind of back mountain skiing.”

American resorts are designed around efficiency and convenience, says Sruba. This is not the case in France, where the resorts are older.

“For example, there were no places to store your

PEAK BONDING IN CHAMONIX Top left: The picturesque French village of Chamonix, with over 1,000 years of history, was the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924; right: the group gathers under a signpost on the mountaintop in Chamonix; bottom left: the Blooms and the Gujaroys, friends from West U, have skied together for about eight years.

boots or skis after a day of skiing. Which meant we were carrying our gear to and from the mountain each day. But nothing that a good drink après couldn’t cure.”

The family hired French guides who would start each day with coffee at their accommodation before leading them to different mountains.

“We had two guides because we would send our kids with one and the adults would go with another guide,” Sara says. “Every day we went to a different mountain.”

One memorable excursion took them across the border to Italy through a tunnel carved into the mountain, though not without incident. “Jeff is riding with one of our guides, and he gets pulled over by the police and stopped by immigration because he has no identification,” Sara recounts, a bit ruefully. “So we spent a little time waiting with the police before we could get into Italy.”

The guide himself wasn’t immune to border troubles. “Stefan forgot to bring his passport!” recalls Sruba. “Apparently he never knew to bring his passport after passing the border for the past 20 years!”

The journey also highlighted the stark reality of climate change in the region. “We would be skiing down the mountain and at the end it would be skiing into grass,” Sara describes. Jeff adds, “Our guides said, ‘Each of the last five years

we’re getting less and less snow.’ That doesn't happen to us in the Rockies... we never skied down into grass or concrete, not even one time over the last 15 years.”

Despite the challenges, the cultural experience was unforgettable. “The town was absolutely stunning,” Sara says of Chamonix.

“It's not a manufactured village. It’s a real, cute French village with so much history.” The aprèsski culture was particularly memorable: “The mentality of skiing on the mountain and at the end, let’s go sit and have a little aprés ski and then go to a nice dinner... maybe even more grand and fun.”

The Blooms and Guharoys have been doing these annual ski trips together for eight years, mainly during spring break. The family dynamics on the slopes have evolved as the children have grown. “They love skiing with their friends,” Sara notes. “But they also enjoy skiing with us a couple of days during the trip.” This reality has shaped how the Blooms structure their trips, often traveling with other families whose children are close in age to their sons.

Safety remains a top priority, especially as the boys push their boundaries. “When we're skiing together... we would have adults at the beginning and the end,” Jeff explains. “Sara would lead, all the kids would be in the middle, I would

follow at the end, so just in case someone fell or whatnot, you have an eye on them.” However, this becomes more challenging as the boys venture into more adventurous terrain: “It's harder to do when kids are going in between the trees and you lose them.”

Sara emphasizes the importance of professional instruction in building both skills and confidence. “I think the way to teach your kids is really to have the mountain instructors do it, because they’re so good, and they know how to do it, and kids don't want to listen to their parents,” she says. “Everybody has a better ski trip when they’re learning from someone that can really teach them the skills they need.”

Through all the logistics, expense, and occasional mishaps, the Blooms maintain that it’s worth every moment. The preparation alone is daunting – “Going from your house in Houston with 10 people, traveling together, and everything that needs to happen to make your way to the top of the mountain with skis on your feet, it's a lot," Jeff admits. “It's planes, trains, and automobiles.”

Yet the rewards far outweigh the challenges.

These trips have given their children a broader perspective on the world and taught them valuable life lessons about resilience, trust, and family bonds.

As Jeff puts it, “It’s a chal- (continued on page 40)

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SLOPESIDE ADVENTURES Clockwise, from top left: Chamonix, where the Arve River meets alpine majesty; Jeff, Ozzie, Sara, Owen, and Oliver Bloom on their recent Aspen getaway; the Bloom and Guharoy kids (Owen, Oliver, Kai, Asher, Ozzie, and Siona, from left) on an outing in Chamonix; Jeff and Oliver stop for a quick photo; Owen, Ozzie, Jeff, and Sara (from left) on the lift in Aspen. (continued from page 39) lenging sport and takes a

lot of resources. If you love it, it’s so worth it.”

For the Blooms, watching their children grow

from tentative beginners to confident skiers who can tackle almost any slope has been priceless.

These shared adventures, whether in Aspen or

the Alps, have woven themselves into the fabric of their family story – creating memories that will last long after the snow has melted.

Tips from Our Travelers From Sara and Jeff Bloom Worth the splurge: Upgraded lodging near the lifts and restaurants Don’t miss: Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix – the highest cable car in France.

Favorite restaurants: Cache Cache in Aspen and La Table d'Armante in Saint-Gervais, France Equipment: Comfortable ski boots that fit properly.

Don’t forget: Handwarmers and sunscreen Local favorite: Après at Longhorn Saloon in Whistler Safety tip: Local guides if skiing outside the U.S. Not really worth the trouble: Renting a car if daily transportation options are convenient.

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SPORTS

by Todd Freed, staff writer Photo courtesy of Episcopal High School

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SportzBuzz W

ith the graduation of only one starter from last year's third-round playoff team, it has all the makings of another outstanding season for the Stratford Spartans girls soccer team. “We started the year with victories over great programs like Pearland and The Woodlands and have a lot of talented players back from last year’s team so we’re definitely excited about the season ahead,” said Spartans head coach David Walters.

Creating much of that excitement for the Spartans is the return of a standout trio of seniors in midfielder Ryann Weber, forward Allison Goodwin, and midfielder Mary-Charlotte Paul.

“Those girls are all tremendous,” said Walters.

“Ryann is an amazing midfielder who will play college soccer at Samford University while Allison has signed with Auburn University.

Mary is a bell-cow for our team who, along with Ryann, really runs a lot of things for us.”

The Spartans will also be looking to build on a sensational string of successes over the last three seasons, having advanced to two straight UIL 6A Regional finals and then last year's regional quarterfinals while winning a lofty 60 games against only nine defeats and 11 ties during that span.

“It's just really a terrific class of kids that have played here in recent years,” said Walters. “The girls have been dedicated and worked extremely hard to be successful. Plus, many of them play high-level club soccer and that helps tremendously. We've been fortunate to have a consistently strong stream of kids come through our program and, now that we’ve been successful over the last six years or so, that's also permeated down through the lower grades that feed into Stratford.”

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n the wake of back-to-back undefeated district championships, the Lamar Texans girls soccer team has its sights set on a three-peat of district titles. “We played well in our early preseason scrimmages and the girls have also worked hard on an off-season fitness program to get ready for the season,” said Texans first-year head coach Azeez Shifatu.

Among the key players back from last year's district championship team, according to coach Shifatu, is junior defender Marley Reese, who

SUPER SAVER The Episcopal Knights boys soccer lineup was bolstered by the addition of transfer goalkeeper Jared Pineda. In the fall, Pineda was a standout place kicker for the Episcopal football team.

was last season’s District 18-6A Co-Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-District selection. In addition, junior defender Linnea Scheet is a first-team All-District selection and sophomore midfielder Maddie Meisenbach earned second-team All-District honors in just her freshman season. “Madison is very mature for her age and extremely talented,” added Shifatu.

Offensively, the Texans lineup is bolstered by the return of District 18-6A Offensive Player of the Year Nahomy Portillo. The junior forward scored 11 goals and eight assists in only seven district games and also competed in the CONCACAF U-17 Championships. Another high-scoring first-team All-District pick for the Texans is sophomore Delaney Perry, who finished last season with eight goals and two assists in district.

In addition, Lamar welcomes back sophomore second-team All-District players Lillie Fleming and Blanca Guillen. Fleming finished last season with four goals and three assists in district action while Guillen scored seven goals and six assists in district play.

experience,” said Knights head soccer coach Travis Smith.

The Knights lineup includes the return of SPC All-Conference defender Lorenzo Juarez, All-Conference midfielder Geronimo Barroso, and Houston Chronicle Freshman of the Year Sebastian Guerra. Plus, coach Smith says transfer goalkeeper Jared Pineda is a great addition to the team. Pineda was the kicker for the Knights football team this past season. “Even though we won the title last year, we were in a lot of close games. We are hopeful that all our returning experience will serve us especially well this coming season,” added Smith.

As it stands, a championship for the Knights would give Episcopal a most impressive seven SPC boys soccer championships in the last 10 seasons.

“We're in a place where we never want to be rebuilding,” said Smith. “We have a great young nucleus of players that supports our upper classmen, so we’re never too tilted to one side in regards to experience. The other great thing is that our starting 11 are typically all honor-roll students.”

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

n boys soccer, the Episcopal Knights are in pursuit of a third straight Southwest Preparatory Conference championship. “We have a lot of guys returning who were integral parts of the last two SPC titles including much of the starting lineup of last year's team, so we definitely have some great championship type

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SPORTS

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by Annie Blaylock McQueen, staff writer

SportzBuzz Jr. W

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

Congratulations, Dolphins Annunciation Orthodox School’s varsity field hockey team had one of its most successful seasons this fall. With strong leadership in the eighth graders, the girls closed out the regular season with an undefeated 6-0 league record. In the HJPC conference playoffs, they played with heart in a championship game against St. John’s School, finishing second in a tie-breaking overtime. The team came together from the beginning to claim several hard-earned victories, drawing energy and focus from coach Amit Shah’s consistent positivity. Pictured are (back row, from left) Ellen Buja, Ava Wise, Kinley Webster, Shirley Zou, Ava Wagner-Bartak, Ellie Ingraham, Madeleine Skinner, Sydney Monkmeyer, Maria Maricevich; (front row, from left) Sloane Goss, Alice Cancienne, Sarah Grace Thomas (team captain), Brielle Mathe, Hannah Thomas (team captain), Carolina Madrid (team captain), Madeline Seaberg, Meg Dillinger, and Addie Airheart.

Breakers win The West University Softball Association 14U Breakers battled through cold weather and fast pitchers to claim championship rings at the Baytown Tournament in December. Pictured are (front row, from left) Phoebe Ostrosky, Dany Trejo; (middle row, from left) Cece King, Allie Kim, Eliana Marino, Cindy Westin, Gaby Ramírez, Lila Elliott, Annabelle Hamilton; (back row, from left) coach Jorge Trejo, Sophie Galfione, Elliott Osborne, Gaby Borum, and coach Mike Marino. Their effort secured a well-deserved first-place finish. For any aspiring softball players, tryouts for WUSA's 14U spring and summer tournament teams will be held this month. For more information and eligibility criteria, see wusa.org.

Bump-set-spike Congratulations to the Pin Oak Middle School girls eighth-grade volleyball team, which has claimed the status of district champion for three consecutive years. This season was equally exciting, as both the seventhand eighth-grade teams were undefeated district champions and earned second place in the Lawson Volleyball Tournament. The eighth-grade team included (pictured, back row, from left) assistant coach Shelly Hulbirt, coach Crystal Krolczyk, Olivia Zager, Bren Johnson, Alison Hardin, Callie Hodges, Victoria Arias, Anna Scott, Katie Savoie, Susana Tesfaslasie, manager Grace Coady; (middle row, from left) Ava Atherton, Vivian Foreman, Nina Lipovac, Avery Marx; and (front) Maddie Deneen.

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

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STAYING GRATE-FUL Adela Kusinski, a 9th grader at Episcopal High School, created a project called Operation Clean Sewers for her Girl Scout Silver Award, in which she is working to raise awareness about how to keep our local sewers open and clear of any obstructions. This can help mitigate the severity of flash floods.

KIDS

by Adela M. Kusinski, age 15

Buzz Kidz H

Operation Clean Sewers

i! My name is Adela Kusinski and my Silver Award Project for Girl Scouts is called Operation Clean Sewers. In our community, flash flooding is pretty common during the hurricane season. Although flash flooding occurs on its own, our actions can help or hinder the drainage process. After recognizing that we can all make an impact on this issue, I began to get to work! Three of the major problems I recognized were newspapers, leaves, and littering.

Newspapers: When we leave our newspapers on our lawns, they can be swept into the street by rain, wind, etc. and cause the sewer to be blocked and unable to drain.

Leaves: Although blowing leaves into the street is the easiest way to get rid of them, the only place to go after that are the sewers. This

leaves them clogged and it’s harder for the water to drain.

Littering: Leaving trash and debris in the streets can clog the sewers. This blocks the storm drains, leading to flash flooding happening faster.

Fortunately, there are many ways we can help.

Pick up trash and newspapers. Not only will you be helping the environment, you will also be helping the storm drains. This is an easy and simple task to complete.

Bag up your leaves. You can find brown bags at Home Depot. This is usually the only type of bag your city will pick up.

Telling your neighbor is an easy way to spread the information. It’s simple and can make a big difference.

Helping to keep our community safe is vital

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for all of us. Not only does it help us, but it also helps the environment around us be safe too.

Although the results may not be shown in the short term, in the long run we will see how our streets are cleaner, and the severity of storms may lessen due to our actions. So next time you think about littering or see a piece of trash on the ground, you should throw it away. It could really help our community.

Want to be a Buzz Kid? Email approximately 350 words, a high-resolution photo and caption to info@thebuzzmagazines.com.

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Expensive generics, rich middlemen Drug prices are a major problem for Americans (even with “good” insurance). There are many factors (and not enough pages in The Buzz). One outrageous pharmaceutical maneuver has brought up an egregious problem with our system. Sometimes name brand medications are discontinued by their manufacturer as they switch to making an “authorized” generic. (Authorized generics are the exact same as the branded product.)

First thought: great. Generics are cheaper! However, herein lies the complexity. Drug makers are limited in price hiking; there are penalties to try and curb excessive hikes. So, switching to an authorized generic lets the manufacturer start over with a clean slate (free to pursue future hikes). Furthermore, the generic will not necessarily be covered by many insurance plans. This means patients may have to pay out of pocket or switch to some alternative medicine (thus doctor visits to monitor response).

Another problem driving the cost of medicines in the USA are PBMs (Pharmacy Benefit Managers). PBMs are not pharmaceutical companies. They do not research or develop medications. They are middlemen. PBMs were intended to facilitate the delivery and manage the cost of drugs between manufacturers and health plans. Initially, they played a vital role in providing small regional insurance companies with added leverage to negotiate with large pharmaceutical companies. Unfortunately, with mergers/consolidations, PBMS have become the most influential part in the drug supply chain.

PBMs develop “formularies” (lists) of drugs covered by a health insurer and negotiate rebates to the PBMs mostly, not to lower prices for the patients.

PBMs are paid rebates to include a drug on the formulary so a drug becomes

preferred not necessarily because it is better or cheaper, but because it offers the PBM a higher rebate. Each new drug in a coverage class must cost more than its predecessors to become preferred, causing a vicious cycle of higher prices.

According to J. Allen Meadows, M.D., Director Advocacy & Governmental Affairs for the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, “This insanity continues when expensive branded drugs are preferred over cheaper generics.”

PBMs control almost 90% of the market. The biggest pharmaceutical company in the world brings in less than $80 billion a year. The three biggest PBMS each brings in more than $100 billion a year.

And again, PBMs do not research or develop any medications. So, the middleman is doing better than the manufacturer. We have a problem.

We can’t control drug prices, but we can help your allergies.

No one nose allergies like we do.™ Note: Information contained in this article should not be considered a substitute for consultation with a board-certified allergist to address individual medical needs.

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

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PETS

Neighborhood Tails Bubby, age 4, Boston Terrier, Glen Haven Blvd.

Don’t let my distinguished, demure appearance fool you. Many tell me that I resemble the serious 1980s sitcom British butler, “Mr. Belvedere,” but deep down, I’m a casual cuddle bug who will lick your face off if you’ll let me. And I’m certainly not British – the Boston Terrier is the “American Gentleman” breed, after all ! I work hard and play hard. I run like a bullet in the backyard for about half an hour and then come inside for a very long nap. My side eye is on point and will come in handy now that we have added another pup, Joey, to the mix. So far, the new guy is really cute and very active. Still, I’m confident I’ll remain the family favorite with my older brothers, Dean and Zane, who already fight over me. I know many cute tricks I can show you, but it will definitely cost you a treat, and maybe a long walk by the Bayou!

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.

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Life insurance and estate planning Every young family needs life insurance on both parents. When one parent dies, the other has to limit work and hire help to finish raising the kids, and at the expense of their own retirement savings. Life insurance helps not just the kids, but also the surviving parent.

Life insurance is income tax favored for reasons of public policy, so much so that it can be an asset accumulation vehicle. Cash value life insurance can be designed to maximize tax-deferred cash value growth as well as taxfree retirement income. Income taxes are not owed on amounts that accumulate in a cash value life insurance policy, and if properly designed, income taxes can be completely avoided, and an income tax-free income stream can be taken in retirement. In Texas, life insurance is an exempt asset, meaning it is protected from creditors’ claims in both probate and bankruptcy.

Normally, though, life insurance is not estate tax free. However, thanks to an exemption amount (this year) of $13,990,000, estate taxes are not a problem unless you are a multi-millionaire or are creating multi-millionaires with your beneficiary designations. The 40% estate tax starts at the next dollar, not the first one.

If transfer taxes are a concern, a life insurance trust can hold the policy.

Many parents, estate taxes or not, prefer that the benefits be held in trust, lest a son-in-law or daughter-in-law profit from a parent’s death followed by a child’s divorce.

The rules for trust-owned life insurance are tedious. The paperwork is not fun, and insureds are notorious for dying without having followed the rules. Best practice for trust-owned life insurance is to have a professional handle the

administration. Lawyers are not an economical choice for that, but many underwriters have trust companies specializing in life insurance trust administration at very reasonable rates.

For middle class millionaires, who retire with $10 million or so in life insurance benefits and other assets, the tedium of trustowned life insurance is easily avoided. Dad personally owns the insurance on his life, and Mom personally owns the insurance on hers. The beneficiary can be the surviving spouse otherwise a trust for the children. On the insured’s death, the policy terminates, and the death benefit goes into trust, not the policy. Ultimately, the children get the cash, subject to a trust managed by mature friends or family, and without the expense or complexity of a corporate trustee.

Life insurance is not sexy, but it is efficient. Both grinders and gamblers can benefit from asking their financial advisor or life insurance agent for more information.

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

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Priscilla Dickson

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by Angie Frederickson, staff writer

Buzz About Town Daniel Ortiz

Mysterious worlds

president and CEO John Arcidiacono began the program and welcomed guests as they watched a video tribute to the evening’s honoree Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., who serves as co-director of Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development and Dean of National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

Jingle all the way

Aleena Khan, Dr. Peter Hotez, and Sophia Burnette (pictured, from left) attended The Health Museum 2024 annual gala at the Hotel ZaZa-Museum District. Mysterious Worlds: Unveiling the Wonders of Healthy Living raised a record-breaking $420,000 to benefit the Museum’s exhibitions, educational programs, and community outreach programs. More than 300 supporters celebrated the effort to create a healthier community with a cocktail reception and dinner. KUHF Radio host Ernie Manouse and The Health Museum

For the 45th year in a row, the Christian Community Service Center’s (CCSC) Jingle Bell Express community event helped make Christmas merry for families in the community.

A months-long volunteer effort to collect toys, books, and gift cards resulted in more than 2,600 underserved children receiving Christmas gifts and dinner with their families. In early December, parents arrived at the donation site to collect toys and H-E-B gift cards to help give their families a happy holiday. Books were donated by the Ladies for Literacy Guild – Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, toys were donated by the Ladies of Houston Charity, and Bellaire United Methodist Church graciously hosted the event. Pictured are members of the CCSC Jingle Bell Express committee (from left): Beth Cooper, Lindsay Mericli, Jenny Vestal, Bonnie Gervais, Megan Richardson, Cecile Deutschen, Brooke Shelton, Kathy Twiford, Nancy Gill, and Tricia Chio; not pictured: Claire McShane, Keli Luce, Melissa Patin, and Steve Smith.

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The substance of Houston Paula Sutton and April McGee (pictured, from left) served as luncheon chairs for the 2024 Women of Substance Luncheon at The Post Oak Hotel. As co-chairs and former honorees, they helped raise more than $300,000 for this year’s beneficiary, Houston reVision, an organization that works with juveniles involved in the criminal justice system. The Women of Substance Event was created by Paul-David Van Atta in 2017 to honor women who have demonstrated their commitment to philanthropy and volunteering in the community. The 2024 honorees are Lara Bell, Chree Boydstun, The Honorable Theresa Chang, Tena Faust, Melanie Lawson, Tama Lundquist, Marian McClendon, Sneha Merchant, Edna MeyerNelson, Leila Perrin, Heidi Rockecharlie, and Jerre Williams. In addition, Jacqueline W. Bostic was recognized as the Spirit of Substance Honoree and Trini Mendenhall-Royalty was named Lifetime of Substance Honoree.

Child Advocates’ angels Child Advocates hosted its 26th annual Angels of Hope Luncheon and Fashion Presentation at the Royal Sonesta Houston Galleria. Event chair Victoria Bryant, honorees Renee Kariv and Pamela Fazzone, Child Advocates CEO Sonya Galvan, honorees Victoria Varner, Kathi Davis, and Bridgett Matthes, and event chair Chastiti Horne (pictured, from left) enjoyed an afternoon with 350 other supporters that raised more than $270,000 for abused and neglected children in the community. This year’s luncheon featured a Neiman-Marcus fashion show of holiday-ready attire and a marketplace featuring local-boutique offerings including custom hats, jewelry, and home décor, with proceeds benefiting Child Advocates.

Volunteers Kathi Davis, Pamela Fazzone, Renee Kariv, Bridgett Matthes, Diane Rifai, and Victoria Varner were honored for their service

Priscilla Dickson

Gloria Ryan, Maribel Farish, Ronda Holladay, Blaire Hickman, and Lauren Allen (pictured, from left) enjoyed the holiday décor as part of the final Kappa Pilgrimage Home Tour. Since 1941, the Kappa Kappa Gamma Charitable Foundation has hosted a holiday home tour that marks the kick-off to the holiday season for Kappa alumnae. Pilgrimage 2024 The Finale: 83 Years of Giving marks the end of Houston’s oldest, continuously running home tour, raising more than $4.5 million for com-

close to 2,000 supporters and volunteers to the annual event at Aveva Stadium. Angela Stanich, Rebecca Massey, Jamie Werner, Cliff Stanich, and Nate Werner (pictured, from left) participated in the walk that raised nearly CJ Martin

Kappa Pilgrimage swan song

munity organizations since 1976. This year’s preview party was hosted at the home of Kim and Scott Martin with more than 350 guests.

The final home tour was chaired by Kappa Kappa Gamma Alumnae Association motherdaughter duos Laurie Vander Ploeg and Becky Vander Ploeg Austin, Debbie Jones and Sarah Jones Lane, and Lynn West and Elizabeth West. Four Tanglewood homes were featured on this year’s tour, decorated by top floral designers Taryn Proler of The Texas Poppy and Cammy Johnson and Brett Chisholm of Three Dudes Farm.

Walking to end type 1 diabetes The 2024 Breakthrough T1D Walk welcomed Dave Rossman

as court-appointed advocates for foster children for more than 15 years, assisting 167 children with more than 13,000 volunteer hours.

$700,000 for Breakthrough T1D, formerly JDRF, to fund research for people living with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Guests of all ages showed up bright and early as part of a nationwide movement where hundreds of thousands rallied in more than 130 Breakthrough T1D events nationwide. Walk chair Jamie Werner led the local event with grand marshal Logan Cerny and corporate honorary grand marshal John Shepherd. Walkers were (continued on page 52) WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ FEBRUARY 2025 51

Jacob Power

(continued from page 51) cheered on along the

route by Houston Texans cheerleaders and the Attucks Middle School band. CW 39’s Sharron Melton served as event emcee, with Breakthrough T1D Southern Chapter executive director Rick Byrd, and welcomed guests to the family-friendly post-walk event featuring a petting zoo, inflatables, and face painting.

Urban campout

Julian Cavazos

Tee it up for Easter Seals

Houston. More than 100 golfers enjoyed swinging the sticks at Topgolf Houston-Katy and raised almost $50,000 for Easter Seals’s services for people with disabilities, Veterans, service members, and their families. Tom Ryan Sr., was honored for his dedication to people with disabilities as an Easter Seals board member and his long history with the nonprofit’s traditional golf tournament. The Ryan family, including Tom Ryan Jr., sponsored and attended the event.

Healing through art Lori and Dr. Isaac Raijman (pictured, from left) enjoyed an evening at The Post Oak Hotel for The Arts of Healing gala. A record-breaking crowd of more than 500 gathered to support efforts to blend art and medicine with artwork created by local physicians, Drs. Brinda Chellappan, Meshann Fitzgerald, Terrance Wadley, Jean-Paul LeFave, Mark Dannenbaum, Dean Moore, Jose-Miguel Yamal, Lauren Langford, Isaac Raijman, Amita Bhalla, Brandon Goodwin, Ed Hirt, Anson Koshy, Dalia Moghazy, Shetal Amin, and Cindy Williams. “Art has proven beneficial in medical and clinical settings not only to patients, who experience greater healing, but also to the physicians and nurses,” says Arts of Healing executive director Kristen Collins.

Proceeds from the evening will benefit a children’s summer art series taught by physicians, as well as a four-day summer camp experience from The Sunshine Kids Foundation.

Best in snow

Mike Peters and Clark Varner (pictured, from left) chaired the inaugural Tee-It-Up Topgolf Tournament benefiting Easter Seals Greater

Carson Brown, Steve and Daphne Savva with Jenga, and Angela Hernandez (pictured, from left) were among the 700 animal lovers at the Citizens for Animal Protection (CAP) Celebrity Paws Gala, Best in Snow. Event cochairs Angela Hernandez and Carson Brown led

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the record-breaking event that raised more than $1 million for local shelter animals. The winterthemed event featured silver-sparkly holiday décor, an ice bar, and a ballroom decked out in white and blue. Emcee Frank Billingsley and auctioneer Brittany Franklin led the “paws up” appeal during the live auction. Honorees and their pets who rocked the runway included: Alexandra, Elizabeth, and Julianna Jacob Power

Rain and mud didn’t stop the fun at this year’s Friends of West University Parks Fathers & Flashlights event. Event chairs Megan Nicodemus, Kelly Beth Hapgood, and Katy Turner (pictured, from left) led the 18th annual community fundraiser that generated more than $114,500 for West U parks. Five hundred and fifty-two children and 281 parents camped out on the fields surrounding West University Elementary School for the cherished neighborhood urban campout. Kids enjoyed exotic animal visits, a rock wall, face painting, tie-dye shirts, inflatables, snow cones, DJ dancing, and a magician’s performance before dinner from neighborhood favorites including The Pit Room, La Fresca Pizza & Grill, James Coney Island, and Chick-fil-A. Everyone gathered to watch Despicable Me 4 on the big screen while enjoying Tiny’s Milk & Cookies’ famous chocolate chip cookies. After an overnight on the fields, families woke up to breakfast from Hungry’s, Starbucks, River Oaks Donuts, the Kolache Shoppe, and Adair Concepts.

Lowenberg, Ben Ackerley with Daphne and Meatball, Allison and Nick Boulle with Belle, Clark Caperton with Peyton, Andy Cerota with Maxwell, Dana and Blake Fertitta with Belle and Zoe, Brittany Hildebrand with Spec, Kirby and David Lodholz with Chucky, Monica Patel and Calvin Krall with Lucky, Daphne and Steve Savva with Jenga, Megan and Keith Waldrop with Hank.

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

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

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by Andria Dilling, staff writer

Back Porch L

behance.net/runamokstudios

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Insta Cooks: Recipes from our feeds

ast fall, in our online “Back Porch Table” column, I shared a recipe for Hasselback Potatoes from Xandy Sutherland Nickel’s Instagram account “A Sutherland Belle.” The recipe gives instruction for anchoring potatoes with chopsticks on either side and cutting thin, deep slits crosswise that are then filled with a simple herb butter. Upon baking the potatoes, the inside becomes soft and the outside crisp.

Delicious elevation for a Tuesday night dinner.

Somehow, I had found Xandy’s Instagram @a_sutherland_belle and got hooked. This woman in Richmond, Virginia, about my age, shares videos of herself cooking in a pretty kitchen, dressed in the prettiest clothes (I would wear just about anything she shows up in). Her photos of completed recipes are gorgeous, and, as I said in “Back Porch Table,” just about everything on her feed looks like something I’d like to cook. Lots of soups, skillets, and casseroles.

Karen Edelman, a self-described “wanna-bechef,” read the column, checked Xandy out, and got hooked, too. “I absolutely love Xandy, apron, juicy life lessons, green china cabinet, and all!” Karen wrote. “Her recipes are soooo good, but her stories and advice for us mature, twice-married ladies is so on point. Of the many Insta cooks I follow, Xandy’s at the top of the food chain – pun intended.” Karen wanted more, and come to think of it, so did I. So we asked some friends for other foodie account recommendations…

Evan Rausch, who works in hospitality publicity, has a group chat with her aunt Polly Roth and friend Tracy Kapiloff, where they share recipes several times a week. “Getting a text saying someone made a recipe and loved it is the best recommendation,” Evan says.

Evan’s top Instagram resources are Justine Doiron at @justine_snacks (“She leans vegetarian and really balances between food influencer and also just speaking to life.”), Caroline Chambers at @carochambers (“She’s a mom, so everything is quick and easy but still delicious.”), Carolina Gelen’s Pass the Plate at @carolinagelen (“She’ll do really small things like stuffed dates. Never too fussy, but creative.”), and Lindsay Ostrom’s Pinch of Yum at @pin-

chofyum (“Her crispy rice salad, where she crisped rice in the air fryer, first attracted me.

She uses lots of fish sauce and tons of herbs and greens.”)

Tracy adds another favorite Instagram account to Evan’s list: “Cocina de Coco [at @cocina.de.coco] makes a roasted chicken that is fool-proof and so good.”

Courtney Cavender Smith is the home cook behind the account, sharing accessible INSTA OFFICIAL Social media recipe inspo has officially given home cooks recipes – in addition to a whole new perspective on what to try in the kitchen. roast chicken – like butter bechamel.

Blistered Shishito Peppers with Paprika Aioli, On her Instagram account @foodbymaria, Spinach Pesto Pasta with Grilled Chicken, and Maria Koutsogiannis shares Greek recipes with Cheesy Green Chili Rice with Corn. humor. “If you’ve never bloomed olives in hot Jeri Amundsen says her husband Arthur olive oil with cumin seeds, orange peel, and Feldman follows Lafayette, Louisiana, native lemon juice, then topped them onto a bed of George Graham on Acadiana Table at @acadicreamy, buttery goat cheese with pomegranates ana_table, “which I hate,” she says in jest, and crispy garlic cloves, well, then, you’ve been “because Arthur is always sending me Cajun and missing out,” she says in a video. The account Creole recipes that have like 42 ingredients.” If developed as sort of an Eat, Pray, Love situation: you do like Cajun and Creole recipes, go to Maria quit her accounting job to buy a one-way Acadiana Table for mouth-watering photos of ticket to Thailand, thus embarking on a path to and authentic recipes for Grilled Oysters on the her passion.

Half Shell, Jambalaya, and Fried Green Tomato Author and former Chez Panisse pastry chef Shrimp Remoulade.

David Lebovitz’ account, @davidlebovitz, is a A few more to check out... classic, and a Francophile’s heaven. From his Alma Kitchen is known for its shortbread home base in Paris, David shares all things cookies sprinkled with edible flowers that French, from tableware to where to find the best Veranda magazine called “swoon-worthy.” They baguettes to, of course, fabulous recipes. are the result of Alexandra Griffin’s pandemic And then there’s everyone’s favorite Jennifer “passion project” that blew up when Town and Garner and her “Pretend Cooking Show” at Country magazine included the cookies in their @jennifer.garner. Be warned of the advertising list of top places to order cookies online. In her overture, but Jennifer is so darned cute to watch Instagram account, @almakitchenco, that it really doesn’t matter.

Alexandra shares beautiful photos of flowers, Happy scrolling and cooking! interiors, travels, and shared recipes like Rhubarb and Strawberry Galette with Basil Find “Back Porch Table” with a new recipe every Whipped Cream, Spaghetti al Limone, and an week at thebuzzmagazines.com/back-porch-table.

Asparagus Tart with Meyer Lemon and brown

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