Texas Bucket List

Texas Bucket List

Simmons Bank

The Texas Bucket List – The Globe Theater in Odessa

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Despite its rowdy roughneck persona, Odessa has been expanding its horizons in many ways over the past few years.  We’ve experienced the recent culinary creations this town has to offer but one thing we’ve never checked off the list is a cultural hot spot on this side of the petroplex.  That was until we headed to Odessa College and came across The Globe Theater.

“OC has a really good fine arts department just all around, and the theater is a big part of that,” said Randy Ham, the Executive Director of Odessa Arts, an organization that promotes the arts in Ector County. “It is by far the best job I’ve ever had, and I like to brag that I have the best job in Odessa because I get to dream about things, and I get to make them happen,” said Randy.

When it comes to facilities that galvanize the creation of expression, The Globe Theater is their crown jewel.  “We have Stonehenge, and we have the Globe,” said Randy. “I like to say that the two colleges are competing for the award of best Anglophile in Odessa.”

Now if you aren’t into the Renaissance, poets, plays, or just history in general, The Globe is a reproduction of William Shakespeare’s famous theater in London, England that was first built in 1599.  The Globe in Odessa was completed in 1968.

The original Globe Theater could fit around 3000 folks, the one in west Texas fits a tad under 400 but the layout is so close to the original that when the Globe was rebuilt in London in 1997, they came to Odessa to see how us Texans totally nailed it.  “When Shakespeare’s Globe burned down and they were rebuilding it, one of the things that the architects did was fly to Odessa, Texas and spend a week in our theater taking measurements, taking photos, looking at the blueprints, because, while it’s not to scale, is one of the most accurate replicas of the Globe that’s been constructed,” explained Randy.

There’s even a replica of Shakespeare’s wife’s home here. “So, this is the Anne Hathaway Cottage. It was built in 1988, so it was in addition. And that’s also when they added the courtyard here,” said Randy.

This whole Shakespearian complex all started with a local teacher, Marjorie Morris. Her west Texas tenacity got this crazy idea done. “Marjorie Morris was an English teacher at Odessa High School in the 1960s and basically woke up one morning, deciding that what West Texas needed, more than anything else, was a replica of Shakespeare’s Globe,” explained Randy. “And she went out and made that happen. Marjorie came to every opening night until the day that she passed away. And she sat front row center in a gold lame gown and a tiara on her head and just basked in the glow of her success,” said Randy. “She was the Renaissance woman of West Texas for sure.”

Twice a year, Odessa College puts on a production here, but the biggest bash is the Shakespeare Festival held every November.  “When you see 3000 students come through the doors of the Globe for the Shakespeare Festival, and they see professional Shakespeare performed in a replica of Shakespeare’s Globe, you see how theater and the arts can really impact a life in a positive manner,” said Randy. “For me, it’s a really good way to reintroduce Shakespeare to the masses.”

For whom would not enjoy such a display?  With such a wide wealth of range you’ll find here. Tis impossible not to enjoy it. “It’s hard to decipher iambic pentameter on the page. But if you see it in the context which it was written, which is on a stage with actors and costumes and sets and things, you would be surprised at, number one, how much of it you understand, how funny some of it is, how tragic some of it is, and how relevant it is still today,” said Randy.

While not everyone is into Shakespeare, there’s no doubt you’ve used one his phrases. Some say Shakespeare contributed more phrases to the English language than anyone else and chances are you’ve heard some of them on this show. Like, ‘a forgone conclusion,’ ‘all of a sudden,’ ‘all that glitters is not gold,’ ‘bated breath,’ ‘in a pickle,’ and ‘Et tu, Brute.’ Alright I don’t think I’ve uttered that phrase before. Either way seeing this incredible stage dedicated to one of the great storytellers of all time is well worth broadening your horizons for on The Texas Bucket List.

“Theater teaches us something about ourselves. We see something that we relate to, or we see a situation, and we see how the characters respond to different situations, and we can collectively experience something that nobody else will experience. No matter how many times you come to the Globe, each theatrical experience is unique because the audience is different, the cast is different. That group of people will never be the same again,” said Randy.

The Texas Bucket List – Davy Crockett National Forest

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Whenever you find yourself in East Texas, you never really want to peel back the preverbal pine curtain.  Instead, you want to get lost in it.

Texas is home to four National Forests and in between Crockett and Lufkin, you’ll find the Davy Crockett National Forest.  “This area serves the public I think in so many different ways,” said Jimmy Tyree.

Jimmy is the District Ranger for the Davy Crockett Davy Crockett National Forest and doesn’t beat around the bush when it comes to his favorite forest in Texas. “Oh, it’s Davy Crockett. A little bit small, 160,000 acres, but does a lot of work,” said Jimmy.

At the center point of the Davy Crockett National Forest, you’ll find the Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area.  Built by the Civilian Conversation Corps in 1936, it’s a great place to set up camp. “[There] really is not a bad campsite in the whole place,” said Jimmy.

The sights, the smells, and the sounds are what set this park apart. “A lot of people enjoy the quietness and the birds,” said Jimmy.

Simply sitting back and letting the songbirds serenade you is something that’s good for the soul. “Well, nobody gets a chance to be quiet anymore. Not enough people are quiet. There’s something to be said about that,” said Jimmy.

This place is so peaceful that no matter what the season, people like to come here. “We are full almost year-round, even in the summertime when it can be brutal. People are still coming out here enjoying it and that says a lot,” said Jimmy.

Before this park of the National Park became such a safe haven for trees that can touch the top of the Texas sky, it was surprisingly home to a sawmill.  “1902 to about 1920, the Central Coal and Coke Company logged here. And then in 1930, the Texas legislature at that time identified this area as something they wanted to go ahead and put into the National Forest system. And then in 1936 is when Roosevelt actually designated the Davy Crockett National Forest,” said Jimmy.

“So, these are the ruins from the old sawmill from 1902 to 1920 and this whole area had at that time, up to 30,000 people. You wouldn’t know it now,” explained Jimmy while walking around the ruins that have forest surrounding them now. “Nowadays the population’s probably less than 500 for both areas. The amount of timber that was produced from this mill back then is just amazing. And one of the biggest, at that time, this mill was one of the biggest in the nation,” said Jimmy.

I can’t get over the fact that so much of the old factory is still there, from formed foundations to massive metal pieces sticking out of stone columns.  “Artifacts are always being discovered, different things. It isn’t a very active site as far as anytime anything happens here, anytime any work is done, we always have an archeologist on site monitoring it, because something is usually always dug up,” explained Jimmy. “A lot of folks look at the pictures from the 19 hundreds, 1920s, 1930s, and they don’t recognize that this is the same place because back then you could see miles, there were zero trees. They had cut everything down.”

It’s amazing to see what can grow in a hundred years. To this day, logging is still a vital part of the national park.  “We’re still able to provide a tremendous amount of timber. In fact, the output here in the southeast region, we’re one of the tops of the nation even though we’re down in the southeast. A lot of folks think of the big timber production being up in the northwest, Pacific Northwest, but we actually compete with them down here very strongly,” said Jimmy. “The quickness that the timber grows here is nothing like I’ve experienced in other places. This area is very unique in that respect.”

American poet Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.”  Well what tall Texan doesn’t want to be just a little bit taller. So, take a little time to breathe in the pine or maybe search for the hide and seek champion of the world, because I don’t have to go out on a limb to say that this is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List. “It’s a little jewel for this area. It absolutely is,” said Jimmy.

The Texas Bucket List – Cidercade in Dallas

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DALLAS – If you grew up in the 80’s, the arcade was always the place to be! Pumping quarters into Qbert or selecting your favorite character on Street Fighter 2 made for a glorious outing with your friends.

Today we’re all a bit older as we huddle around the NFL Blitz machine but doesn’t mean you have to grow up.  “We love tapping into the nostalgia. Nostalgia’s all the rage these days, so we definitely have all the classics that you grew up playing, but we also love to bring in new, exciting games,” said Hunter Eichberger marketing manager for Cidercade, a unique old school arcade that serves nothing but cider.

Hunter is a Texas Tech grad and a Kliff Kingsbury’s doppelganger. He’s got the tough job of trying to convince people to come to this extremely fun place by being a part of the family that started it.  “To jump in with them and be a part of the family business was just a really cool opportunity,” said Hunter.

Surprisingly enough, the Cidercade came to fruition out of fun. Part of the Bishop Cider family, the Cidercade was squeezed out into a space that the manufacturing plant didn’t need.  “There was a ton of additional space that wasn’t being used and we thought, ‘okay, what can we do to fill the space to draw people in here?’ They’re like, ‘well, we’ve always had this pipe dream of owning an arcade,” explained Hunter. The next thing you know. “It took off,” said Hunter.

The price helps. To get into this massive arcade with 140 games will cost you ten bucks. After that you can play all you want. “No coins. No bills. $10 admission. Every game is unlimited play,” said Hunter.

Since the Cidercade is situated in the same facility as Bishop Cider, I’m sure you can guess what the only available form of adult beverages that can be found here.  Folks like me are the exact people the Cidercade likes to target. Fellas who would normally order a cocktail or cold beer get a chance to get a little fruity. “A lot of people don’t drink cider all the time necessarily. And so, by keeping it only to cider at the Cidercade, it gets people out of their comfort zone, forces them to try something new. And most people, the vast majority of people, really like hard cider when they try it,” explained Hunter.

At this point I ask y’all to pardon my ignorance because I always thought that cider was something that could only be apple flavored. “For the majority of Bishop Cider’s existence, we’ve actually steered away from just your standard crisp cider because we’re trying to be different and kind of break the mold of what’s already out there,” said Hunter. “We have tart ciders, sweet ciders, dry ciders. There’s a whole range of taste that we appeal to, so there’s pretty much something for everybody.”

The first cider I had to try was the Texas Strawberry, made with strawberries from Poteet, Texas. It’s like smelling a jar of strawberry jelly. You get that overpowering sweet jelly smell and then it’s got bubbles and it’s delicious. “You have to be drinking a cider while you’re playing the game. I mean, that’s how you get the best experience for sure,” said Hunter.

Next, I tried the Crack-berry, which is one of Cidercade’s top selling ciders.  If you have the same question I had, “what is Crack-berry?” It is cranberry and blackberry coming together. “We say it’s the perfect balance of tart and sweet,” said Hunter.  Right off the top, tartness, but then doles out as you’re going down. That’s amazing!

“The parents can say, ‘all right, kiddos, go have a blast. I’m going to stay up at the bar,’ try a bunch of different cider and just relax for a minute,” said Hunter.

Finally, I tried the Pineapple Paradise. “Crack-berry, Pineapple Paradise, those are probably the two top sellers. Super juicy, super refreshing, perfect for warm weather days and a fan favorite here at Cidercade,” said Hunter.

That’s a sweet train right there. Wow! You smell that pineapple, and you taste the pineapple. Sitting by the pool kind of drink. “I think a lot of parents plan birthdays here, probably selfishly for themselves,” said Hunter.

So if you want to feel like a teenager again while keeping your kids occupied and having a few fruity drinks for adults, the Cidercade is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List.

The Texas Bucket List – Quenchies in Beaumont

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BEAUMONT – Southeast Texas always has a unique blend of Texas and Louisiana culture, and you can clearly see it in the food. Here I’ve had burgers with bountiful toppings, sandwiches filled with crawfish etouffee, fried up crabs, and even Cajun grilled cheese sandwiches.

With the blend of cultures on our eastern border, you’ll also find snowballs, which are like snow cones but just a little bit different. “People ask me all the time, ‘what’s the difference between a snowball and a snow cone?’ Because we have both people. Well, I said, ‘Well, New Orleans calls it snowball. Texas calls it snow cone.’ And the difference is in the ice. It’s a shaved, not the crunchy, crunchy, but a shaved smooth ice,” explains Donna Harris, the owner of Quenchies in Beaumont.

Back when she was a child, her parents had a small snowball shack and it’s where Donna became fond of frozen snacks. “My parents had one of the first machines like we use in Texas, and it was just little mom and pop place, little bitty building you might could get two people in there,” Donna said. “When I first started, I was 11. I didn’t work there by myself, but I would help my other brothers and mom there, and then as I got older, 13 and 14, I started working by myself there.

Donna has a desire to get back to providing folks with simple sweet treats that always got people to smile, so in 2017 she opened Quinches with her husband Ed. “I always dreamed of a place like this where you could come in, sit down. So, after me and my husband got married, and we had been married several years, I got a little mom and pop place like my parents had,” Donna said. “This is definitely a fun place. Everybody that comes here is happy.”

Quenchies signature is gummy bears.  On top of all the sweet snowballs you’ll find gelatinous grizzlies greeting you to this sugary, cold, and crunchy desert. “If you forget their gummy bear, it’s like, ‘where’s my gummy bear?’ I mean, the adults are like, “Where’s my gummy?” Donna said.

But there’s another snowball that doesn’t come with a gummy, oh no.  It comes with a pickle—an Eskimo pickle to be exact. “A lot of people say, ‘what is the Eskimo Pickle?’ And I tell them, I say, ‘it’s a lot of pickle,’” Donna explained. “It is a pickle snow cone with straight pickle juice, that’s the juice instead of a flavor. We do straight pickle juice over our pickle snow cones and this is an actual pickle inside the snow cone.”

Now I didn’t want to end things on a sour note, but Donna was adamant about putting me in pickle, so she put together one of her signature Eskimo Kisses. “It (The ice shaver) hums because it shaves that block as you push it through here, and that’s why your ice has to be tempered and at a good temperature because that’s what’s going to make it,” Donna explained. “[My husband] makes sure our ice is tempered the way it’s supposed to be. But snow consistency, it can’t be too wet, it can’t be too dry. If it’s too dry, you can’t form it. But if it’s too wet then its water locked.”

Then, we built the snow cone. Donna starts with filling the cup of shaved ice half way with pickle juice, then put a pickle in the middle, and topping it off with more pickle juice.

I took a bite, and my mouth was puckering. It’s weird because you get that consistency of snow cone and your mouth’s like ‘yeah, something sweet!’ Then it goes, ‘oh no it’s not.” But this interesting treat was very good and tasted like a frozen pickle.

“Eskimo Pickle’s a big thing,” Donna explained. “We sell tons of it, tons of the pickle juice. It’s hard to keep it.”

The pickle compliments it great, imagine that! “Once you take a bite of that perfect snow cone, then there’s nothing like it,” Donna said.

If you’re super into sour, the Eskimo Pickle is the perfect item for your igloo but if you prefer a sweet snowball, they’re plenty of those options as well and they’re all well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List.

The Texas Bucket List – Hummer House in Christoval

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San Angelo –When it comes to birding across the Lone Star State, the Rio Grande Valley is usually the place folks fly the coop for.  Being on the search for a certain songbird brings all sorts of seekers to south Texas all with binoculars in hand.  But if you’re looking for an easier way to see some flashy feathered creatures, a trip to The Hummer House near San Angelo should be high on your list.

Dan Brown and his wife Kathy own The Hummer House and on the day we visited it happened to be Dan’s 91st birthday! “Life is an attitude. You got a choice. Mine is mowing forward,” said Dan with a big smile.

Now mowing isn’t first most on Dan’s mind on most days because if he did that, he’d scare away the birds. The Hummer House is Dan’s happy place. This small, quiet spot in Christoval sits on the south Concho River and has been in his family for 100 years. It offers people a place to peek in on Hummingbirds, Cardinals, and the occasional, Black-crested Titmouse, all in an air-conditioned room with some huge windows for observation. “If you sit down and watch birds, you focus your mind on something that’s nature and not yourself or other people, so it’s a form of relaxation, bird watching. Call it what you want to, but it is nature and enjoying it.”

Filling feeders is still on Dan’s to do list and during the migrating season, from April to September, you’d be amazed how much they handout to the hummingbirds. “We feed about 1500 pounds of sugar every year to these little hummingbirds. One feeder at a time,” Kathy says.

But there is another big draw at the Hummer House, the painted bunting. This is a beautiful bird that nests here on the ranch.  “There’s probably more painted buntings here than any localized place in the United States,” says Charles Floyd. Charles Floyd has been friends with Dan for 20 years and the former science teacher is a federally permitted master bander.  “We have banded roughly 55,000 individual birds here at this location,” said Charles. “We have banded 162 different kinds of birds, that species of birds that are different.”

While the research is important, the most enjoyable part for anyone that happens upon the Hummer House is simply sitting and staring at the birds. This is the perfect way to de-stress and be at one with nature. If you ever find yourself in need of some birdwatching and peace, a stop at The Hummer House is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List!

The Texas Bucket List – Ellen Trout Zoo in Lufkin

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When it comes to the animals at the Ellen Trout Zoo in Lufkin, things can get pretty wild. And when a TV crew shows up to see what all the fuss is about, the peacocks are the first to make sure they get their 15 minutes of fame.  Before we could even start our interview, the Zoo’s peacock started peacocking around our cameras making sure their massive feather fans were in the background of shots, much to the shagreen of zoo director Gordon Henley.

Gordon is the wild but not so crazy guy whose lead the charge at the Ellen Trout Zoo for a very long time. “Well, we have about a thousand animals from all around the world, from tropical and warm temperate areas. We don’t have anything that’s from the north that can’t take our heat,” said Gordon. “We have a lot of birds, mammals, reptiles.”

In between the proud peacock calls, Gordon let the cat out of the bag when it comes to why the zoo in Lufkin is so popular.  “I think it’s the variety that we have to offer. A lot of people are surprised when they see the quality of the zoo here and just enjoy it. Let us help them connect with the natural world,” said Gordon.

Now Gordon isn’t the type of person to put a feather in his cap, but he should get the lion’s share of the accolades for the success the Ellen Trout Zoo has had over the years. Gordon has been the director of this zoo for an astounding 46 years! “It’s not like work. I like what I do, so I get paid to do what I like and that’s… can’t beat that,” said Gordon. “That’s all I ever wanted to do from 5 years old to now.”

Over the years, Gordon has gotten to see a lot of change.  “It’s exciting. It enables us to offer more to our guests and participate in more conservation programs. It’s just very nice to see it grow,” said Gordon. “We get tremendous support from the city and the community. The two, the city and the community working together is what makes it happen.”

Surrounded by trees on The Ellen Trout Zoo is thanks to local businessman who had a vision for this place back in the 1960’s. “It was the concept of Walter Trout, who, at the time, was president of Lufkin Foundry and Machine Company, and he thought that Lufkin should have a zoo for kids so that they didn’t have to go to Houston or Dallas to see the animals,” explained Gordon. “During that process, one of his friends got a hippopotamus from the Dallas Zoo and they brought it to Lufkin and gave it to him as a Christmas present in 1965.”

I guess someone really did want a hippopotamus for Christmas! And this big guy even came with a Christmas card. “Merry Christmas, Walter. May all your troubles be big. That was a catalyst that really kicked it off,” said Gordon.

Today you’ll find a couple of hippos at the zoo. “One of the things about hippos, in a way, they’re like crocodiles because you can sit right there, and you can’t tell how big that animal is. All you see is that,” explained Gordon while showcasing the hippos. “That’s called an aquatic profile and that’s the same thing with crocodiles and alligators. Their nose is up, their eyes are up, and their ears are up, and the rest of them can be submerged so they can see, smell, hear and breathe without exposing the rest of their body.”

“It’s a better method of actually being able to see the animals than on programs or in books. You can’t appreciate the size of some things if you can’t see it. And there’s also smells and sounds and a lot of other subtle characters of these animals that you can see and appreciate,” said Gordon.

From big to small, Gordon knows every animal here and they seem to know him too.  Only Gordon could get a jaguar just enjoying his day to jump down and say hello. “They recognize the sounds and some voices of people that are around them all the time,” said Gordon.

Gordon said working with people and the community is his favorite part of the job.  “This community is really what drives the zoo. We are about 35,000 population and they all support the zoo,” said Gordon.

Seeing school kids getting a firsthand look at these curious creatures is what means the most to Gordon.   Being in the middle of the piney woods, many of these little ones won’t get a chance to go to a big city zoo, so Gordon brings the world to them and helps create a memory that lasts a lifetime. “It’s just fun to watch kids like that and to know we’re trying to offer them something, a connection to wildlife so that they may not ever be a zoologist or may not ever work in a zoo, but they’ll have an appreciation for the animals that inhabit this planet. And if we can do that, then we’ve done something.”

The Texas Bucket List – Check It Twice – McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis

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When I first started The Texas Bucket List in 2013, there was one spot on the top of my list that I knew I had to check off. The McDonald Observatory in the Fort Davis mountains. Not only is this destination distant to most folks in our state, it’s also extremely isolated. The drive takes a while but once you make your way to Fort Davis, the closest town to the observatory, you still have to make your way up mountain roads to reach it! But there’s nothing like seeing the domes from a distance as you finally approach the area with one of the darkest skies in the country.

Rachel Fuechsl is the Programs Manager at the McDonald Observatory, and she showed me around the facility that hasn’t seen too many changes over the years, but still has some of the best views in the Lone Star State. The last time I visited, back in 2013, we took in a star party; a chance to learn about the insane number of stars you can see out here.  “It’s a very different experience sitting on a back porch and seeing three stars, versus sitting on a back porch and seeing all these constellations and these patterns and these faint objects, millions of light years away. Seeing things like that, I think it’s a very different experience,” Rachel said.

But that night, we got an added experience as we got to bust out the big guns! “What you’re doing different this time, I understand, is visiting our 82-inch telescope tonight,” Rachel said. “We are looking through our original 82-inch or 2.1-meter Otto Struve telescope. This is an 83-year-old telescope now that has, in my opinion, unparalleled views through an eyepiece.”

It is mind-blowing that the original telescope is as old as it is, and still works and does the job. “It’s still doing valuable science pretty much every night of the year. It’s been upgraded a little bit throughout the years. Instrumentation is the main thing that changes on a telescope like that, but the instruments that we attach to it to do the science have advanced with the times,” Rachel explained.

Getting a chance to peer into the heavens behind this huge telescope is nothing new for regular folks like you and me.  It’s something they’ve been doing at the observatory since the 1940’s. “That has been part of the observatory’s public programming pretty much since the beginning,” Rachel said. “There are stories of folks that, you’ll get folks that came out here in the early days and remember standing in a line that went down Mt. Locke. People would come and they would stand in line; and the line would go all the way up the stairs to the dome. And people would look in the telescope, have their chance to look in it, then off they go.”

Today it’s a little bit more of an intimate affair with 15 folks a night able to come in on certain dates and see some stunning celestial bodies with their own eyes.  “The telescope definitely gives us a view, not only over great distances, but over great periods of time that you can’t get any other way,” Rachel said.

Looking up at the heavens, Rachel said, is humbling, but a great feeling. “I think it’s part of the excitement of astronomy is getting that sense of being a part of something so much bigger than just me and my little life. Really, it’s humbling, but it’s also, I think, inspiring,” Rachel said.

Once the first star shines its light here, it doesn’t take long for the entire sky to come to life, and it leaves you breathless. Then the bay doors to the telescope open and Saul Rivera starts pointing the telescope to some out of this world things to see.

From Jupiter to Mars, star clusters to nebulas, seeing these objects through the lens of this large telescope is truly a humbling experience. “I’ve seen people weep when looking at something through a telescope for the first time. Saturn is one that people often get really choked up about sometimes,” Rachel said.

“Getting someone to look through a telescope; sometimes they haven’t looked through one before; getting these things like Saturn or Jupiter or other similar objects and just hearing their amazement of just like, ‘oh, look, this is something so cool,’ It never gets old,” Saul explained.

“I would say the Orion Nebula is probably my top, top pick. It’s just one of the most beautiful objects in the night sky. I’ve been fascinated by it since I first saw it as a kid,” Rachel said. “There’s this world above us that is masked from us when we’re going about our daily lives. But at a place like McDonald, you can see that, be part of it.”

That’s why coming to the McDonald Observatory is one of my favorite stops on The Texas Bucket List.  Seeing this night sky and all the amazing things that surround our small blue diamond in space makes this stop a true jewel on The Texas Bucket List.  “I think the world would be a better place if more people got in touch with science and with the natural Dark Sky and the natural world around them,” Rachel said. “It’s part of all of our lives; it’s everybody’s sky to see.”

 

The Texas Bucket List – BeeWeaver Honey Farm in Navasota

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Navasota – There’s nothing like spring around the Brazos Valley. The wildflowers are always fantastic when things start to warm up around the Lone Star State and that makes this area the perfect place for a little pollination.  Maybe that’s why there’s such a buzz at the BeeWeaver Honey Farm near Navasota, a bee business that’s been around for over 130 years.

Daniel Weaver is the 4th generation of beekeepers in his family and it’s a business that’s been on the same plot of land since the 1800’s. “My great-grandparents moved here after the Civil War, and met and married in 1888. They were given 10 hives of honeybees as a wedding gift by Florence Weaver’s brother, Frank Summerford, who had been keeping bees in this part of the world for about 10 years prior to that. And that’s how my family got started in the bee business,” explained Daniel. “They turned that wedding gift into an enterprise that was subsequently operated by my grandfather, Roy Weaver, Sr., his sons, Binford, my father, and Roy Weaver, Jr., and then subsequently me,” said Daniel.

Daniel’s right-hand man is Roosevelt Robinson and he’s been with the company longer than Daniel’s known about the birds and bees. “I’ve been working here since 1966, when I started here. Seemed like the longer I work, the more I learned and the more I came to love it,” said beekeeper Roosevelt Robinson.

“One of my earliest memories of beekeeping is from right about the time Roosevelt started working for Weaver Apiaries,” stated Daniel.

“They called me King Bee,” joked Roosevelt. Roosevelt gives tours daily and showcases the benefits of bees. “If you got bees, your crop’s going to do better, your fruits going to do better, your garden’s going to do better. Good pollination,” explained Roosevelt.

Being one with the bees must have some stinging perks! So we had to know just how Roosevelt handles that!  “I get that question asked every, every day. You know, the best way I can give that answer, if I had a dollar, the time I been stung, I’d be a rich man. That’s about the best way I can answer that,” joked Roosevelt. “It’s fairly rare for someone to get stung, although anytime you’re around honeybee colonies, that’s a risk you assume,” said Daniel.

Seeing the busy bees doing their best work is fascinating but making honey isn’t the bread of butter of BeeWeaver Farms, it’s actually the breeding. “Our bees are just a little tougher than the rest, if you will,” stated Daniel.

In the late 80’s Varroa mites were found in the United States and these small parasites wreaked havoc on the honeybee population, the varroa mite. “It’s [varroa mite] very much like a tick, if you will, and it reproduces in the brood or the developing baby bees, and then can also be present on adult bees as well. So, it can be quite devastating if the bees that you have are not capable of coping with them,” explained Daniel.

When the parasites found their way to Texas, BeeWeaver Farms wasn’t spared. “Well, we killed thousands of hives, but that didn’t stop Varroa mites from spreading everywhere like wildfire. And it quickly became apparent that the conventional means of managing Varroa mites required constant application of toxic chemicals in the colony and that was an anathema to me. I could not get my head around having to constantly put poisons… They are acaricides, that is they kill mites, but they’re also insecticides and they kill bees at just slightly higher concentrations inside of colonies. I didn’t think that was the right way to go,” explained Daniel.

So Daniel and his father concentrated on breeding a better bee through natural selection. “Over the course of the ensuing seven or eight years, we were able to develop a population of bees that can survive and thrive in the presence of Varroa mite infestation without any application of toxic chemicals. They do it through their behavior and physiology and immunology, which is all a little bit different in our bees than in standard managed stock,” said Daniel. “By 1999, none of our colonies were treated and haven’t been treated since. So, for more than 20 years now, we’ve been completely chemical free and reliant entirely on the attributes of our particular population of honeybees,” said Daniel. “I’m proud of that because I think it gives beekeepers freedom from the constant worry that Varroa mites are going to kill their colonies. It liberates them from the need to put toxic compounds inside their colonies in order to eliminate Varroa mites and reduces the cost of beekeeping too,” expressed Daniel.

With the bees thriving at BeeWeaver, the honey here might actually be a little bit sweeter. “We don’t use chemicals at all in any of our hives, so the honey that comes out of our hives is 100% chemical free,” said Mitzy Camp. Camp runs the BeeWeaver store. “If it’s got to do with bees, we have it,” stated Mitzy.

Mityz gave me a taste of the different types of honey on hand. And of course, they have a spicy honey that we had to try. The Carolina Reaper infused honey definitely gives that kick but blends well with the fresh honey. If you’re looking for something to chew on, honeycomb is an option here. The honeycomb here can go straight from the hive to your mouth! “My mom used to use this as bubble gum growing up. She’s 94 and this is what they used as gum when she was growing up,” said Mitzy.

While you’ll have to bring your own milk, there is plenty of honey to go around at the BeeWeaver Farms and getting an inside look at this family business for the ages is the bee’s knees on The Texas Bucket List. “I was fortunate enough to learn from the best,” expressed Daniel. “It’s just amazing what you can take a beehive and make it do for you,” said Daniel. “I love the people. I love the honey. I love the story,” said Mitzy.

The Texas Bucket List – The Munster Mansion in Waxahachie

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Waxahachie – Ellis County continues to grow as a suburb to Big D but that doesn’t mean you can’t find the country feeling out around Waxahachie.  Just northeast of town, that once desolate farmland is starting to turn into neighborhoods but there’s one structure that stands on its own.  A brown, two story mansion that sits on the sits on the side of the road surrounded by a spooky gate.  Some folks tend to avoid this mysterious looking manor but if you’re brave enough to make your way to the front door of this familiar looking façade, you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you meet owner Sandra McKee.

“Come on in. Welcome to the Munster Mansion,” said Sandra as I walked into the mansion.  With cobwebs, spooky stairs, and a fire breathing dragon all in the front foyer to meet you, it sets the tone of the Munster Mansion.

In case you’re not familiar with it, The Munsters is a 1960s TV sitcom that showcased what life was like for a couple of kookie film staples that just happened to be a family. Their small family included Herman, Lily, Eddie, Grandpa, and the family pet, Spot, the fire breathing dragon hiding under the stairs. “Pretty much everything in here is just like the show,” Sandra said. “We reproduce the draperies, the sofa, the coffee table, the electric chair, the clock, things all the way down to the show.”

This house is as impressive as the haunted mansion. Sandra and her husband built this house from the ground up. Sandra said, “I’m an old soul. I liked old Victorian houses and cars and things like that. And the thing about the Munster house to me is you could travel from room to room without turning around having to go back. I love the flow of it.”

The crazy part is Sandra and her husband never even had the house plans. Sandra watched all 70 episodes over and over to see the layout of the rooms. She would watch how many steps it took Lily to get to certain parts of the house and that’s how they determined exactly where to put things to make this house a replica. They lived in this home for 20 years, but now she’s constantly giving tours of her terrific terror trophy house. “It really touches your heart because people come in, they appreciate what you’ve done and they’re living part of their past like you’ve lived,” Sandra said. “I’m at the age where I grew up with it but I have people that come in and they’ve never seen The Munsters before and then they’ll email me and say, ‘I went home and watched The Munsters. It’s really cool. I can’t believe the house is so much like The Munsters.’”

It’s very important to Sandra to have everything they had in the show. From dishes on the table to big furniture, it makes a difference for everyone’s exquisite experience. They even buy a lot of small props that were actually used in the show. But one thing in particular Sandra is missing is the floor Tiffany lamp, so if anyone knows how to make one, be sure to go talk to Sandra!

Of course, our experience would not be complete without something going bump in the middle of the day. Is that the wind? “Could be.” Is the Munster house… haunted? “Could be.” Are there monsters in the Munster house? “Oh, I wish.”

So if seeing this not so scary house dedicated to one of America’s frightening favorite families intrigues you, a trip to the Munster’s House in Waxahachie is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List!

The Texas Bucket List – Port of Brownsville Boat Tour on South Padre Island

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Brownsville – It’s not often you get an extremely foggy day down on South Padre Island but that was exactly the case when I arrived on SPI to take a tour of the Port of Brownsville.  Despite the dense cloud cover, it doesn’t keep James Woodrow Wilson from boiling up some shrimp because he’s busy preparing a feast for a few folks wanting to take a ride on his boat.

Once the crowd is settled, Captain Woody, as he’s called, takes the sightseers on a carefully guided journey through the Port of Brownsville. Woody is the captain of the Breakaway Cruises Port of Brownsville Tour and he has one interesting past, that all starts with his name. “Well, I get a lot of grief about it. And I’m still waiting for my check for Toy Story,” joked Woody. “I was original, boots and all!”

While being a cowboy is every young boy’s dream, being behind the wheel of this ship is where Woody belongs. “Love driving boats. I love being on the water. It’s just been a passion of mine ever since I was little. And just meeting everybody. You meet everyone from all over the world, I’ve met on this boat.”

Shannon Cherrington helps Captain Woody on the tour, making sure things flow smoothly along the waters of the Brownsville ship channel. “There’s so much to see out there and it’s so rich in history,” said Shannon.

While trolling down the port, you’ll see massive offshore oil rig platforms being repaired. There are also ships being built and massive military ships being decommissioned. “This was an old aircraft carrier that, if I’m not mistaken, it was the Bonhomme. It was one that succumbed to arson by one of the crew members. And the damage was worth, basically a total loss.” Oh, wow. “It would cost more for them to repair it than it was worth. And it’s worth more in scrap than it would’ve been for them to repair it,” said Captain Woody.

If space is more your speed, a pass by Space X will light your engines. “Seeing all the rockets, whenever they’re getting ready to launch and all that, sitting out on the launchpad, it’s amazing,” Woody commented. “Watching them take off and being able to land, 40 years ago that would’ve been unheard of. But just seeing technology advance with what they’re doing over here, it’s just mind boggling to me.”

Not only do you get to see some amazing things on the sightseeing tour, but you also get the chance to enjoy some of Captain Woody’s shrimp which is an old family recipe – and it’s delicious.

If taking a unique tour with a unique captain who happens to cook is something you’d like to see, sailing with Captain Woody on the Breakaway Cruises Port of Brownsville Tour is definitely a unique stop on The Texas Bucket List!