Texas Bucket List

Texas Bucket List

Simmons Bank

The Texas Bucket List – Check It Twice at Newman’s Castle in Bellville

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Bellville— For the 175th episode of The Texas Bucket List, we decided to check back in with an old friend. Back in 2013, 174 episodes ago, we went to Newman’s Castle in Bellville. Mike Newman built this big home and since we last visited he’s added on to the place, so it’s time to check it twice!

The bustling streets of Bellville can be a little backed up during the morning rush hour, just like the bakery case at Newman’s Bakery. Mike Newman owns the perfect stop for pastries that we visited back in 2013, but we didn’t come back just for breakfast, even though it is really good. We came to besiege his big ole castle. “Well, welcome again… I noticed I’ve seen you in my donut shop there on numerous occasions for these last seven years,” said Mike. After being busted by the baker, it was time to switch the subject and talk about his sizable stronghold he built himself. “Well, it goes with the deal. I kind of like it and I’m having a good time with it still. And I see that it brings a lot of joy to people,” he said.  And yes, he’s still making mead. “You want some?” he offered.

Six days a week, Mike gives tours of his towering fortress hidden in the thicket of Austin county. The groups have grown over the years and Mike has even built onto his castle with a bell tower and some soon to be finished guest rooms. As for the medieval toys that take this place over the top, Mike still has those too. “This is my medieval cannon,” said Mike. A popular part of the tour, the trebuchet still turns heads. “I’m still having a good time. Especially, if you see other people happy, it’s easy for me to appreciate that…The [positivity] that comes from it from my point of view has been, wow, thank you Lord. You know, it’s just like a gift from above,” he said.

Kids continue to charge the castle, fight fellow knights, and look for lurking dragons, but there was one thing Mike’s castle was missing— a maiden. “Oh Yes. Miss Sia… or Lady Sia. She doesn’t like the word Miss Sia too much. In case, you mispronounce it, you know,” said Mike. The mock monarch finally met his match. “What? He’s not a King? You’re kidding,” joked Sia Beaton. Sia is a singer who happened to be at the castle for a Celtic celebration when her friend suggested she make up a song dedicated to Mike’s manor. “Sure. I’ll write a song for the castle, but the King has to listen to it if I do…Yes, he had to come and sit down and listen to me singing my song,” she explained. Mike decreed it. “It makes me smile whenever she sings it,” said Mike. “It’s a cool song. You should get her to sing it for you…”Sia’s song is the perfect soundtrack for a castle in the middle of the country. “Sia is a great lady. I’m glad she’s in my life. She’s very special,” Mike added.

While the King has grown a bit older over the years…“I will be 65 this year, so I need to figure out about this Medicaid,” he said. Mike’s still a big kid at heart. Bringing joy to others is what this big home has become about and now the King gets to reap the rewards. “It was funny the first time we came out here, all we could think about is how awesome his bachelor pad is… I don’t intend to change it. You just don’t mess with perfection,” said Sia. “I’m not the only castle in Texas. There are others, but I think mine is the coolest one though,” said Mike. “Every time he does the tour, I watch it and get completely sucked in, like it’s the first time I ever saw it,” claimed Sia. “I’m very happy to be from here and I’m very pleased and honored to have so many people come out here to my castle to see it. But then there’s a great overflow of that because they get to spend a little time here in a small community, here in Texas,” concluded Mike.

The Texas Bucket List – Robert E. Howard Museum in Cross Plains

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Cross Plains— Cross Plains is by no means a massive town in Texas. With less than 1,000 residents, it’s sort of like the plains you cross to get to Abilene, Comanche or Coleman. If you take some time to stop at a house in the cross hairs of Cross Plains, you’ll find out that this little place has had a big influence on the whole world thanks to a man named Robert. E Howard.

“He knew he wanted to be a writer real early on. He just had that creative streak,” said Arlene Stephenson.  Arlene is a volunteer at the Robert E. Howard Museum, housed in the original house Robert E. Howard grew up in and wrote his many works. We’re not talking novels of non-fiction, Howard had one heck of imagination. “I guess you might say, he was almost a nerd before nerds had been invented, type thing,” said Arlene. “Complex probably as they come, but I think most creative people probably are. His mind just ran in so many different directions.”

Howard is considered the father of the sword and sorcery style of writing, thanks to character he created called Conan. This style is prevalent today in trending things such as Game of Thrones or Dungeons and Dragons “A lot of that could be traced back to influence of Howard’s writings,” said Arlene.

An avid reader of pulp magazines as a teenager, Robert submitted a story for consideration and by the age of 19, he was being published in Weird Tales Magazine. Fantasy wasn’t his only forte, Robert wrote about boxing, westerns, adventures, pretty much anything he put his mind to.  “He was actually making more money at a penny a word than probably anybody in town, except a banker,” explained Arlene. “He was the breadwinner, if you look at income cash.”

In December of 1932, Conan made his first appearance and created a whole new genre.  “He had a major influence on a whole lot of what we’re seeing today and they are making great inroads in getting him [Howard] more accepted broadly as a literary, not just one of these pulp writers, but more of a literary genius,” she said. Part of the museum is Robert E. Howard’s bedroom, the site in which his famous works were created. “That’s where it happened… That little old tiny room, six foot wide,” said Arlene.

Robert lived in this home with his family until the age of 30, when tragically he took his own life. Though he has passed, his legacy lives on today in his creative works. “Bran Mak Morn, Solomon Kane, El Borak, Steve Costigan, Breckinridge Elkins… And Conan. He didn’t call him Conan the Barbarian… Somebody else stuck that on there, somewhat later. But in Howard’s pure writing, he was just Conan,” explained Arlene. Well the Robert E. Howard Museum wouldn’t be complete without the writings of Robert Howard.

All the Conan stories can be found in three of his books, but be forewarned, they are not categorized as light reading. “That was his writing. I would say he was very verbose,” agreed Arlene.
Robert never got to see Conan in the comics or the incredible flicks from the 80’s, but we should have known that deep down, Conan is a Texan. “Started right here in Texas and ended right here in Texas. But oh man, it’s gone a long way…” she said.

While the films were fun, the real reason to visit this small home is to understand the amazing influence Robert had on the literary world and the world of fantasy, something that Arlene comes to realize at every annual Howard Days celebration in June.  “So everybody who is here during Howard days that speaks another language gets out there in the front porch and they take turns reading Cimmeria,” she said. “One year, I think we had nine languages represented up there. And all right out here in this front porch. Twelve feet from where it was written in Cross Plains, America. We do good to understand Texan here!”

“He was a pure Texan, that created from a Texas environment, influenced by Texas and just kind of went on to conquer the world,” concluded Arlene.

 

The Texas Bucket List – Stella Moon The Fire Mermaid in Port Aransas

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Port Aransas – Fun in the sun is the name of the game when down on the Texas coast. Some folks are even lucky enough to live with the ocean in sight. “It’s a really good place to live if you like the beach and you like fishing and you like just being by the water,” said Amber Frazier. Amber is a realtor in Corpus who helps folks find their perfect place near la playa.“You can find a nice house on the island for around $115,000 to $200,000,” she explained. Now being a realtor is a good gig, but Amber has another career that’s a bit more exciting. “Very much more interesting,” she agreed. As the night falls, Amber has a transformation into Stella Moon the Fire Mermaid.

Every Saturday night during the summer you’ll find Amber… I mean Stella Moon, at Bron’s Beach Carts in Port Aransas putting on a show that puts people in a trance. “She adds an exciting flare to the night,” said Kristy Jackson. “How could you beat that?” added Woody Gordon. “Generated a lot of excitement around here,” claimed Bron Doyle.

Stella lights the state on fire, literally! While we’re used to hot temps in Texas, it’s a whole other world to see her dance so close to the flames. “I get little burns here and there, but that’s just the name of the game. Play with fire, you’re bound to get burned,” Amber added, nonchalantly. “I just learned to get better and better and now I don’t burn myself at all.”

After 10 years of fire dancing, Stella Moon shows off here moves at Bron’s and brings her fire dancing show anywhere that needs to see the light. She’s performed on stage with rock legends and been all over the world bringing her fire to the festivals. It’s like people have money burning in their pockets to see her. “It keeps me going and keeps me flowing and everybody knows, they’re like, ‘Oh my God, that’s Stella Moon, the Fire Mermaid.’ And it just really makes me happy. It makes my soul really, really happy… It brings joy to people. It’s such a unique trade and a unique performance,” said Amber.

 

What starts out as fire dancing quickly escalates to fire hula hooping, fire throwing and fire whipping! “My favorite trick is my fire whip. It’s wild,” she said. “That crack of the whip, I don’t care if you’re just locked in the show, it’ll make you jump,” said Woody. “[The most difficult trick is] fire spitting. You can aspirate your lungs and die immediately. So it’s the most dangerous trick when it comes to fire dancing,” Amber explained. “It’s just all about practice. Practice makes perfect,” she added. “I’m not worried about her playing with fire. She’d been doing it a long time. I think she’s super safe about it. She’s got a lot of people helping her, and so I think ultimately, she’s an entertainer,” said Kristy.

There’s no smoke and mirrors here, just the sight of fire dancing in ways it’s not supposed. If your ears are burning, chances are it’s from the dull ripping hum of the combustion cutting through the air. “When I’m fire dancing, I don’t see anything or anybody around me. It’s strictly on the fire and the sound of the fire, it’s just calming,” said Amber. “She’s so good at it that she can get close to people and do all the tricks that she’s doing and she knows she’s in control,” added Bron.

“It’s a dream come true. I love it. I get to bring joy to people’s lives and it’s literally mesmerizing. So it just makes me so happy. It’s changed my life completely,” explained Amber. “I don’t know of anywhere else in Texas, and I was born and raised here, that offers that kind of experience,” claimed Kristy. “I haven’t been anywhere else where you can see something of that quality, that amazing,” agreed Woody. “She’s definitely the best fire dancing real estate agent in the state of Texas, hands down,” confirmed Bron.

 

 

The Texas Bucket List – The U.S. Air Guitar Regional Championship in Houston

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Houston—Every June an eclectic gang of curious people come together to celebrate their love of music. They come dressed to impressed because putting on a performance is what this collaboration of creative entertainers is all about. Just don’t expect to see any real instruments. Welcome to the U.S. Air Guitar Regional Championship!

“Texas has some great air guitar players…We have it all,” said organizer Randy Garza. Randy is big fan of Rush and the man who rushes to put this peculiar competition together each year. He’s also known as El Airachi. His alter ego has made it all the way to the National Semifinals in Chicago, a riff away from the World Championship held in Finland every year.

“When I was little, I used to always emulate playing a guitar. My mother, God rest her soul, she used to always say, ‘Someday there will be something that will have air guitar and it will pay off. You will be the winner,’” Randy recalled. The competition at the US Air Guitar is stiffer than the brisk winds coming off the gulf with great competitors like Stonehenge, Wild Child Roshi, Uncle Hot Dog, and even Xena. “I don’t know how to play the guitar,” Xena confessed.

Good news is, she doesn’t have to. These masterful melody imitators take this face off very seriously, even without instruments. “This is something that I love, and something I love to perform, and a friend of mine a few weeks ago said ‘Randy, some people get it, some people don’t. But guess what, a lot of people get it,’” said Randy.

The judges are serious too. Grading presentation, strumming, plucking, picking and playing of an abstract guitar. “I think one of the main things that a lot of our judges really look for is what’s called airness. That is your little unique qualities that no one else is possessing. That evening, or ever,” Randy explained. “The judges will see it and they’ll pick up on it.”
I guess we’ll go ahead and rock on.

“You’ll see people do it, and you’re like, ‘oh, okay.’” Said Patrick Friend. Patrick placed fifth his first time out. “I know some people, I see them try to play air guitar and I’m going ‘Wow, you’ve never even seen a guitar played, have you?’” he laughed. Patrick loves the competition because it lets him let loose and literary throw away the crutches to perform.
“I go by GimpDaddy in the air competition, primarily because I was born with spina bifida,” he explained. “I don’t like to use my handicap to an advantage, but I do understand that it does bring out a certain element that a lot of people aren’t expecting, and they’re like ‘Wow, someone like that did that.’” An extremely tough competitor, Patrick feels the music rush through him and for a few seconds he’s a rock god. “For those of us who didn’t have talent, but still have that appreciation, this is a way for us to perform…It sounds silly, but it’s a thing, and it’s enjoyable,” he said. “You’re like a rock star for just a few moments, you know? If you’ve never been a rock star, if you’ve never been on stage like that, it’s the best feeling,” confirmed Randy.

In the end, it’s a competition and only one can move on to the US Air Guitar National Championship. For a few hours it’s also just a chance for people with regular day jobs to pull a Page, keep up with Clapton, sling some Stevie or act like Angus. They come together for their love of music and leave us all with a feeling like we’re floating on air, making it well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List. “Music has been a huge part of my life, I’m always listening to music, always rocking, and this is just a huge extension of it,” said Randy. “I just have fun, you know? I suck at being a shut-in, and so I get to come out, I get to enjoy music, hang out with people who are just… really good folks, and it’s just fun,” concluded Patrick.

The Texas Bucket List – The Monolithic Domes of Italy

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Italy— When it comes to living in the Lone Star State, there is no place like home. Big homes, small homes, homes in trees, and homes on the shore with a breeze. The Texas Bucket List has seen all sorts of places to call home while traversing the state, but there has been one dwelling we’ve really wanted to see, set right on the side of the road in Italy.

Now the country Italy reminds many of master artists, architecture, and buildings like the Coliseum, St. Peter’s Basilica and the Pantheon. But if you add Texas to the end of that Italy, things are a little bit different thanks to a massive amount of domes that call the Texas town home.

Gary Clark is a big believer in domed structures, because he is the general sales manager at Monolithic—the company that believes there is no place like dome. “Domes have been constructed for hundreds of years. One of the main reasons is they’re so immensely strong. The shape itself is super strong and one of the little known facts is you can cover more square footage using less building materials with a dome shape than with any other shape,” shared Gary.

Founded in Idaho, Monolithic moved to California in the 80’s and then set their sight on Texas in 1989. “Texas is really good for construction, friendly, and quite frankly the people are really super friendly here too,” added Gary.

Over the decades, domed homes started popping up, creating a unique scene on the side of I-35. The heavy concentration of curious buildings brings in all sorts of silly questions and people who take this method of making homes the wrong way. “We’ve had times where we’ve had people actually show up here and come in and under their breath say, ‘How do we join?’” laughed Gary, “I’ve often told people, ‘You see a bunch of standard homes built together. It’s a housing development. If you put a bunch of domes together, it’s a compound,’” he joked.

The company was started by David South and he has the patent to prove it. David still works and lives here in the domes. “This is David’s home… it’s actually two domes that are connected with some standard construction…Two dome home…this one over here, I call the living dome. This one over here, I call this sleeping dome,” said Gary as he gave the dome tour.

Now the domed structure that sticks out and got us to stop by is the colossal caterpillar that has been a curiosity since it was built back in 1995. The caterpillar structure is lovingly referred to as “Bruco,” the Italian word for caterpillar. “The way we construct our domes involves an air form. What most people call a balloon. And the one for Bruco was 250 foot long by about 25 foot high,” explained Gary. This caterpillar structure actually holds a large role within the company. “Welcome to Bruco. 250 foot long, 60 foot wide at the widest point and 24 foot high…This is where we assemble the air forms that we use for making the domes,” he said.

Every building built by Monolithic starts in this building as a giant inflatable.  “We prefer the word inflate.” Inflate. “We don’t like to blow up or-“ Yeah. That’s a bad word. Yeah, you inflate a big balloon. The first coating is what? “Polyurethane foam insulation.” So that’s kind of like what keeps it energy efficient. “That’s right.” Polyurethane foam insulation makes up the first layer, keeping the domes energy efficient. Rebar and concrete complete the construction of the dome structure. After that, it can pretty much be anything you want. “Everything from fertilizer storage to high schools to businesses, churches, homes… We have a dome gymnasium here in Italy, Texas,” said Gary.

While art and architecture can be subjective, the science of these structures isn’t. It’s a design that is proven it can stand the test of time. “The Pantheon is 140 foot diameter and has been there for hundreds of years. When they built the Pantheon, they didn’t have rebar, they used vitreous China. They fired China and used it as the reinforcing it. And it’s still there. It’s still in use today,” he explained.

So if being dome on the range is more your style, a stop at Monolithic to see the dome structures of Italy, Texas is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List.  “What we really are excited about is when they come here, they learn about why we’re doing, what we’re doing, and as we share our ideas and the technology that we have, all of a sudden it’s not as crazy as they think,” concluded Gary.

The Texas Bucket List – The Chairy Orchard in Denton

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Thanks to a collection of colleges and an eclectic feel, Denton, Texas has been called a mini Austin of sorts and the stop we found fits right in.   Along the banks of Copper Creek on the city’s northeast side is a chairy orchard but we’re not talking delicious fruit, this chairy orchard pulls the seat out from under ya.  Turns out it’s field full of chairs!

“A lot of them think it’s cherries. They’ll say, ‘Where are the cherry trees?'”, joked Anne Pearson.

Pearson and her friend Judy Smith got my hopes up about my favorite fruit, fortunately I was able to find a seat to hear them tell me about the quirky collection that initially got folks thinking they were off their rocker.

Friends since 1973, the two met in the meadow that happens to be in the middle of their two homes.

“So you guys always had this space between you?”, I asked. “Yes. Yeah. Always”, they said. “Our kids built forts in that tree and we had soccer games happen out here, I mean our kids are older than you. My son is going to be 58. What can I say? You’re almost the age of our grandchildren”, the two explained.

I was on the edge of my seat to hear what the family thought of their little business!

“At first my kids were like, “Oh, mother, you have always embarrassed me, But this is it. … but now,  their like, “Oh, I’ll help you do this and help you do that”, Judy explained. “They’ve seen it be a success?” I asked. “Yeah. “And I think they’re proud of us now”..

“What has your relationship been like over those years?” I asked. “We’ve never had an issue. We’ve traveled together”, Anne reminisced.

The two hang out everyday, despite the fact that Ann still works.

The way I see it, you two decided to put two chairs out here, you were drinking some wine and you said, “Let’s just leave the chairs out there.” Is that what happened? “No”, Anne corrected. “Judy had chairs hanging in the tree and then we were at work one day and said, ‘Well, why don’t we put some on the ground?’ We call that the Chairy Tree”.

“Our goal was a hundred chairs and I bet it didn’t take us three months. Not even. We got a hundred chairs and went, huh, we’ll get more”, Judy bragged.

That’s when it grew, and grew and grew.

Where do all these chairs come from? “Garage sales. Thrift stores. Dumpsters. Dumpsters. Curbs.  Yeah. And people donate. Sometimes- Sometimes. … not very often. People come and think they can take a chair. But no, it’s not like that”, Judy said.

Red chairs, blue chairs, black chairs, old chairs, new chairs.  One has a little star, man what a lot of chairs there are.

“People have said, there’s an aura here. Now some people don’t get it, but some people really feel like it”, Judy explained. “Every one of these chairs was chosen by somebody, by a family. It has a history. They were in a kitchen, they were in somebody’s dining room, they were in their bedroom. They all had a previous life. And now we’ve brought them here”.

The imagination and humor these two can put together makes meeting them a worth while stop on The Texas Bucket List, heck they even have titles!

“We’re the Chairy Fairies, but also lately we’ve been calling ourselves the Chairwomen too”, Judy said excitedly. “You all are the boss”, I joked. “We are! We’re really tough!” they joked back.

Don’t let them fool you.  Seeing the smiles and hearing the laughter while people play musical chairs around the chairy orchard is what they consider the best seat in the house.

Is that the best part for you guys? Just seeing people come here and smile. “It is! Oh yes! Because, we don’t know they’re coming. It’s all a surprise.  We come out, we, it’s really fun to talk to them because- To see why they came. They don’t understand why, why is this here? They say Dallas would never allow this Fort Worth, Austin would never. We checked before. Would never allow this”, they explained.

“Why do you think it speaks to people? Why do you think people find it so amusing?”, I asked. “Because it’s just silly. It’s so unusual. There is- It has no reason.” Anne laughed.

But there is a reason, their friendship is the reason.  Taking the time to sit down and enjoy one another helps bring a light hearted look not only into their lives but others as well.

Well, what would you guys do without each other? “I think my life would not be nearly as fun. We have a lot of fun. Sometimes people have asked, if, “Say, haven’t you ever had a fight?” And I said, “No, not really.”  And I can tell you one thing that why it works, Ann will probably agree. If Ann doesn’t want to do something that I do, we don’t do it. We both have to agree”, Judy said.

After being friends for 45 years, these guys have figured it out.

“I think my life would be half empty if it weren’t for her. Because we do so much together. We do. You know, she- It’s just the best. It’s just wonderful to have a good friend. Yeah. A lot of people don’t. You don’t need 10 good friends. No. You need one or two good friends. We just have a good time”, they said.

 

The Texas Bucket List – Rocket Brews in Amarillo

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Over in Amarillo there’s a place for adults to get a to-go drink that really lifts off your engines for an evening out.  It’s called Rocket Brews, and when it comes to big, bold, boisterous drinks, they take things into another orbit.

Along the old Route 66 in Amarillo you’ll find a new way to get you kicks and I’m not talking about taking the highway that’s the best, it’s more like shooting off into space.

“I see why you call it Rocket Brews,” I said after taking a sip of the seriously stout drink.  “Yes, sir,” laughed co-owner Alex Morales.

Alex and his good friend Jesse Murguia grew up in Amarillo but took different career paths in life.  Alex is an occupational therapist while Jesse is a schoolteacher and when these two shared a dream of owning their own business, they knew they had to follow their own advice and shoot for the moon.

“Everyday I will tell them follow your dreams,” said Alex, refering to his job as a teacher.  “Do what you want to do and stuff. And it kind of got me to thinking maybe I should do the same, you know? And maybe one day I’ll go back to teaching, but for now we’re pursuing our dreams. Both of us,” he said.

“The elderly folks, they say minimize all your regrets by the time you’re 80 so you can die peacefully. Because they’d be like, ‘You know what, I wanted to go to Italy. Never got to it. Now I regret it,” said Jesse.

The two started a restaurant that required 19-hour days and didn’t amount the success they had hoped to have, so they decided to open something a bit more unique.  A drive through daiquiri dispensary that also dished out some mighty micheladas and crazy party trays.

I’m assuming there’s nowhere else in Amarillo like this place. “Not like us,” said Jesse. Yeah, you kind of cornered the market up here. “Yeah,” he said with a smile.

Rocket Brews is all about making some of the most bizarre but bodacious bebidas in the bomb city.

“We’re simply the best michelada,” said Jesse proudly.  Saying you’re the best michelada in Texas, man, them fighting words.  “In this mighty state of Texas. I’m a proud Texan, and it’s a big state, you know? But I’m willing to compete with anybody for micheladas,” he stated.

They start their recipe off with a signature michelada mix, add some cold beer, and then move on to the toppings. Peanuts, cucumber, beef jerky, hot Cheetos, celery, and shrimp are put in a cup on top of the drink. Top it off with a little tahini for kick, and you’re ready to toast to Texas with the most gourmet michelada I’ve ever seen.  The taste was terrific as well, the perfect blend of spicy tomato juice with just the right spice.

We promptly had to cool things down so the next thing we tried, “This is the craziest daiquiri we make”, said Alex.  Comprised of their secret daiquiri mix, rainbow candy, and cherries topped off with an energy drink and, yep, even more rainbow candy toppings. It’s truly a daiquiri with some rakakaka. At a whopping 17% alcohol, this drink, and all others offered at Rocket Brews, are bagged up for the road to be consumed safely once you reach your evening destination.

Supplying some leaded gasoline on Route 66,” I said after a small sip.  “There you go. Exactly. In old Amarillo, Texas,” joked Jesse. “You give me a daiquiri that’s 17% alcohol, you never know what’s going to come out of my mouth,” I let him know.

And to close out our orbit around Amarillo, the party tray. Offering six cold beers in a tray topped with chamoy, tajin, jerky, cucumbers, and cocktail shrimp.  This is what they need at baseball games.

 

So if you’re in Amarillo looking for an out of this world experience with elixirs, Rocket Brews is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List.

“A lot of people always say there’s nothing to do in Amarillo. There’s nowhere to go. And I decided to stay in Amarillo, and we want to make a difference,” said Jesse.

 

 

The Texas Bucket List – Eiffel Tower in Paris

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Paris—In the town of Paris, the Lone Star State’s version of the city of love, the square reminds you of it’s distant cousin to the east. Such a peaceful part of town with fragrant flowers and a subdued fountain spraying into a dry Texas day. That European feel continues on the southwest side of town at tower dedicated to the namesake of this city in the Lone Star State.

“Welcome to Paris, Texas. This is our Eiffel Tower,” said the town’s Chamber of Commerce President, Paul Allen.

Paul was born and raised in Paris, TX, so he understands the importance of embracing their connection to the town that sits 4,833 miles to the east.  (That’s like driving across Texas six times!)

Fittingly you can find the tower at the Love Civic Center. 

“It all works. It’s perfect,” he said.

Now we always boast that everything is bigger in Texas, but this version of the Eiffel Tower checks in at 65 feet tall, nearly 1000 feet smaller than the one in France. On American soil however, Paris has the second largest version of the tower with Las Vegas taking the top spot and Paris, Tennessee taking third.

“At one point in time theirs [Tennessee] was taller and when the cowboy hat was added, we surpassed Paris, Tennessee… And we became number two,” said Paul.

Built in 1994, the tower was donated by local welders and pipefitters who thought it was fit for the city of blinding lights in the lone star state to have its own towering tower.

“A lot of it was done at BMW and then those pieces were brought out here, but a lot of that welding was done here as well… Volunteered their time and volunteered the pipe, material and [built it] piece by piece,” explained Paul.

“I have been to Paris, France. I’ll tell you, I’d rather be in Paris, Texas than Paris, France any day of the week. Because I’ve seen it and I’ve been there, I’ll take this one,” he said.

While it may not be the biggest in the world, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Texas can put a big ol’ feather in its hat for one big reason—it’s in the town with the biggest heart!

“It means a lot to me and it means a lot to a lot of people that have grown up here and don’t want to be anywhere else,” concluded Paul.

The Texas Bucket List – ShangriLlama in Royse City

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Royse City—  Royse City may not have rolling green hills and rainbows, but out in rural Rockwall County is a really big residence that’s right out of Ireland.

Coming from California, Sharon and her husband, Paul, were looking for something kooky because they needed a home with lots of space for their whole furry family.

“We checked it out and didn’t know, oh, it’s also a castle. It’s like, okay, where’s the decision here? A llama castle?” said Sharon.

Llamas are what this woman loves. Not exactly what you’d expect from a retired ghost writer.

“I thought I’d just be chilling, watching movies, and going to ladies clubs. I did that for a little while, and then I got bored,” she confessed.

Sharon’s son, Tommy, was allured to llamas too. He was infatuated with these curious creatures after a school trip to a zoo. Before long, their curiosity became a reality as they opened ShangriLlama to share in the love of llamas.

Having such unique pets patrolling their Irish palace is already peculiar enough, but Sharon went above and beyond by giving her fuzzy friends funny names.

“Dalai Llama was something kind of mystical, magical, creepy, whatever, eyes, you know, something that draws your attention… Bahama Llama, some llama that’s just chill. His personality is just laid back… Drama Llama, a dramatic looking guy… Pajama, just because we needed for the Llama Llama Red Pajama story book to have a namesake for that… Then we’ve got Como T. Llama. Now, he’s a funny dude,” continued Sharon. “He was the star of a show called Llama Cop. Serious. I know. It totally sounds like I’m making this up.”

The life of a Llama is a curious one full of unique facts. Native to South America, they can each carry up to 100 pounds and the hierarchy in their pack is curious to see.

“The pack mentality is fascinating…. A higher-ranking llama gets to boss around their lower-ranking ones, and the lower ones aspire to be higher ranking. So there’s that friction there, but it gives them something to do,” said Sharon.

Taking pictures is another thing that comes naturally to llamas.

“They’re very social. They like people. They don’t like us hugging them the way a dog does, and that’s surprising to most people. You can see the whites of their eyes, take pictures, take a selfie with them, but once you start hugging them and hanging on them, they do pull back…They have their bubble,” she explained.

That bubble goes away when you have crackers. Sharon holds the Triscuits between her teeth for the llamas to grab.

“They like Triscuits. Just the plain ones.. It looked like a kiss, but he didn’t,” she said as Drama Llama ate the cracker from Sharon.

“They’re both beautiful and goofy in the same moment. Usually you’re one or the other, but they’re beautiful to look at, and then you’ve got this head on a long pole and these big eyes, and they’re looking around, and it’s just an interesting combination,” she said.

So if peace and tranquility combined with a crooked smile and crazy selfies is what you’re looking for, Shangrillama achieves nirvana on The Texas Bucket List.

“People rarely get to be around a pack of llamas,” she continued, “pure joy when they come in and see a room full of these beautiful animals, and that’s why we do it.”

The Texas Bucket List – Mr. Hamburger in Huntsville

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Huntsville— Huntsville has the distinction of having a strong connection to Sam Houston but is also home to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and one of the most famous prisons in the entire state known as the Walls Unit. Built in 1849, this is where death sentences are carried out and the last stop for prisoners who have paid their debt to society. One of the first stops for those smelling freedom is a burger joint that began in 1959 just across the block from the cell block.

“If they’ve done their time, you know, justice has been served, you’re just hoping for nothing but the best for them,” said John Mathews.

John, born and raised in Huntsville, is the owner of Mr. Hamburger, the burger spot that happens to be a big hit with the recently released.

“Being this close to the Walls Unit, it was always a place where the releasees, as soon as they got out of prison, this was literally their first taste of freedom,” he explained.

John used to build homes but one day he had a calling to reopen the old restaurant that had been a part of Huntsville from 1959 to 2005.

“What can I do that I know is going to work, and what hit me at the same time is what does Huntsville need? Huntsville needed to have Mr. Hamburger back,” he said.

In 2011, Mr. Hamburger opened back up just a few blocks from its original location, but still in sight of the Walls Unit.

“We could have moved out on the interstate and probably had a lot better business. But it was important to us to open it on the side of town where we knew Mr. Hamburger was, so it had that local flavor,” said John.

That local flavor includes a menu of menacingly named burgers.

“The number one most popular burger, not just with the locals but also with inmates that just recently got let out, is the… killer burger,” John said. “A new burger we introduced when we reopened in 2011 was the Old Sparky, so of course it’s namesake was the old electric chair…We decided that we were going to take a fresh hamburger patty…batter it and…deep fry it like it was a chicken fried steak.”

General Manager, Max Rollo, got things heated up in the kitchen that has a great view of the free world.

“Pretty great, isn’t it?” commented Max on the window above the grill. Outside of it are roads, cars, businesses, and of course, the prison.

A 1/3 pound certified angus beef patty gets seasoned and faces the music on the grill while Max got to work on a special worth doing time for—some Mexican street fries.

After frying up some freshly cut potatoes, Max throws the book at them by adding garlic aioli, sour cream, cotija cheese, cilantro, chili powder and lime.

Once the burger is cooked, it is battered with shake mix, then it is time to flip the switch and fry it up!

A toasted bun gets covered in house made ranch and some Texas in July sauce!

One bite and you’ll need an alibi for all the sauce that ends up on your face.

“Nice and juicy. Plenty of flavor,” commented customer Wayne Calder.

Deep frying that burger, definitely adds a little crunchiness.

“I’ve been in all parts of the state of Texas and… tried burgers, and this is one I enjoy tremendously,” said another customer, Will Gollihar.

Fun fact of the day—these burgers are sometimes requested as an inmates last meal.

“That’s a little sobering to think about that, the reality of that. Good choice,” said Wayne.

“Typically, we don’t know if it is a last meal, they won’t tell us that,” said John. “So oftentimes they’ll send somebody to come over and get it, so we don’t usually hear about it until after the fact.”

“I’d want this for my last meal probably,” said customer, Bob Hotten, “not that I want to go over there.”

Whether it’s your first taste of freedom or the last stop on your bucket list, Mr Hamburger in Huntsville is well worth a stop on the Texas bucket list.

“Nobody can replicate Mr. Hamburgers history. It’s so unique because of this town, because of the location. I mean it may appear as a fast food joint, but it’s so much more than just fast food,” John continued, “We’re just glad to be another one of the great local places here in Huntsville.”