Even though travel destinations are the focus of Texas Highways magazine, almost every traveler relies on some kind of travel service as well. I was reminded of this fact yesterday, when I received a note from Linda Lane, the owner of Almost Home Pet Retreat in Conroe (www.almosthomepetretreat.com). She described her operation in which the dogs roam freely in a no-cage setting and asked if Texas Highways published articles on such topics. The short answer is “No, we cover destinations only.”  But then, I certainly rest easier knowing our nutty little Australian cattle dog, Sara,  is in the care of the friendly folks at Taurus Training while Helen and I are away from home. Should Texas Highways include coverage of travel services ? 

I’m a fan of Patagonia outfitters not only because the company designs and manufactures amazing gear but also because the folks at Patagonia have set a high standard for accountability and a commitment to causes they believe in. When you visit the web site (www.patagonia.com) click on the Environmentalism button to learn more about the company’s projects. And if you’re near a Patagonia store (in Texas, that means downtown Austin at 316 Congress Ave) enter the contest to win a birding trip to the Rio Grande Valley, a Big Bend rafting trip outfitted by Far Flung Adventures, or a fat gift certificate.

Back in August of 2008, my Up Front column included a photograph of the abandoned and derelict Mosheim school, an Alamo-like building located about eight miles west of Valley Mills at the intersection of FM 217 and FM 215. TH reader Elliot Herndon sent us the photograph, and Phil Murphy of the TxDOT Waco Maintenance Office identified it at the request of photo librarian Anne Cook. Now it turns out the building is scheduled for demolition. The April 9, 2009 edition of the Valley Mills Progress (mailed to me anonymously) presents a front page photo of the school building with a story about the proposed demolition, explaining that the owner can’t afford to repair or protect the structure.

Everyone who visits the long-shuttered Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells hopes for a revival of this voluptuous landmark that dates back to the Roaring 20s. All lament the empty swimming pool, the broken windows, and the generally forlorn visage of the once-lavish destination for “taking the waters” and generally living the high life. Now there’s a glimmer of hope. At last week’s Texas Travel Counselors Conference in San Angelo, I spoke with Ninfa Holly of Mineral Wells who shared the news that an investor group has taken an interest in the hotel and has plans to refurbish up to 120 rooms for stage one of a building renovation. Cross your fingers that this project will work. If you’d like more details, email ninfa@mineralwellstx.com or call 940 / 325 - 2557.

Over coffee at Sweetish Hill on West 6^th St in Austin, Architect Hal Box shared his thoughts on the new book he’s writing about plazas in Mexico. He and coauthor Logan Wagner (Texas A&M University School of Architecture) have measured 90 plazas and have an extensive collection of drawings and photographs to accompany the drawings. 

I asked about the Spanish influence on South Texas towns and he mentioned the plaza in Laredo, but went back to the origins of the project’s theme.

“The plaza actually originates in Meso-American sacred sites, or we’re working on proving that,” Box explains. “For example, the open space adjacent to a pyramid might actually (mythologically) represent the primordial sea where the gods lived and from which the people themselves emerged,” he adds.

  “When the Spanish came, they built around those spaces. In colonial cities and towns, the plaza evolved to become the heart of the town, where people went every day to share information, keep up with the news, and just experience the life of the community,”

  “The courthouse square in Texas is not quite the same, but that’s another aspect of the plaza concept we’re working on. And the last chapter of the book will include some ideast for how to adapt the plaza to today’s cities – in the hope that we can reclaim some of the suburban space where  there is little community identity.”  The book will be published by The University of Texas Press (www.utexas.edu/utpress   Look for Hal Box’s last book, Think Like an Architect which was a featured title in the 2008 Texas Book Festival -  www.texasbookfestival.org) 

We’re excited about the February issue of Texas Highways (which is in the mail). This issue includes feature articles about Marfa, Fort Davis and the Big Bend Ranch State Park. Barbara Rodriguez wrote a couple of personal and amusing features about traveling the trans-Pecos with her 10-year-old son, Elliott (who has starred in several of Babs’ stories). Those who have been a touch daunted by the palpable hauteur in some of the art-world haunts (and we receive notes to that effect) will welcome the  light-hearted, travel-with-child perspective. Ms Rodriguez also teamed up with Elliott to make the Nature Conservancy’s Madera Canyon hike near Fort Davis, and that story will remind readers of a new way to enjoy the sky island of the Davis Mountains. And we can always rely on Wolfman Klepper to evoke the mystery and magic of the velvety dark skies.

The wide release of Danny Boyle’s film, Slumdog Millionaire, as well as the attention the film attracts, takes me back to the Austin Film Festival (www.austinfilmfestival.com) in October, which honored Boyle this year and screened Slumdog Millionaire. The AFF, now in its teenage years (founded in 1994), spotlights the creative contribution of writers and draws a crowd to Texas each October. In addition to Slumdog Millionaire, the festival screened W, Oliver Stone’s film tracking the 43rd president from West Texas oilfields to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue by way of the Governor’s Mansion.
As I made my way down crowded Congress Avenue to see W in the historic Paramount Theater, I struck up a conversation with filmmaker Will Hartman whose short Easy Pickins screened at AFF. Hartman was waiting in line and talking with two Ohio University film students – Joshua B. Young and Cody John Vandenberg – who made the trip to Austin on a grant. Hartman himself had gained some funding from the state of New Mexico to spend 7 days filming. When I mentioned Ed Harris’ film Appaloosa, Hartman brightened, “The bartender in Appaloosa, he’s the lead in my film.”
Check out the schedule for 2009. A film pass (about $40) gets you into several events as well as close to 200 films.

If you haven’t seen the Texas pageant in Palo Duro Canyon State Park, it offers an unexpected opportunity to relax. Not to take anything away from the pageant itself, because the performances are entertaining and memorable, but I  have to admit, the action on stage took a back seat to my enjoyment of the dramatic setting (pun definitely intended). I had the chance to make a presentation to the Midwest Travel Writers Association, and host Eric Miller ferried the group on the 30-minute drive to enjoy the performance. We enjoyed a clear evening enhanced by a cool breeze coursing through the open-air amphitheater, so the heat of the summer day was forgotten. In fact, it was cool enough that a cup of coffee was a perfect warm-up. And even a jolt of caffeine couldn’t nudge me out of my serene mood. As the warm colors of the canyon walls cooled with the fading daylight faded, the sky transformed itself into a starry black blanket. I don’t know if anyone else saw the shooting star (I half expected a gasp from the audience) but it seemed like it completed its bright arc right on cue.

Experience now tells me that no building can contain the legendary persona of Willie Nelson. I say this in spite of the fact that, when photographer Griff Smith and I idled backstage of the new Night Life Theater in Carl’s Corner on I35E just north of Hillsboro, the space seemed big enough to handle most any event. As we talked through the options for lighting the scheduled photograph of Nelson and his partners in the rebuilt and tricked-out Carl’s Corner truck stop and performance venue, Griff and I were more concerned with whether we could get the stage lights set to illuminate back stage. It’s the unofficial opening  night of Willie’s Place at Carl’s Corner. There are no signs outside that identify the building, but Nelson has blessed a fundraiser for the Freddie Powers’ Parkinson’s Organization. Out front, the 550-seat theater is packed.  From backstage, I can see Coach Darrell Royal sitting right down front, smiling large as he talks with well-wishers and watching the fundraising auction that precedes Nelson’s performance.
Suddenly, we’re surrounded by a swarm of folks and the room is packed beyond capacity. A human whirlpool swirls around the beatific star. Nelson is shaking hands, saying hello, then stopping to sign a just-auctioned guitar and chat with the instrument’s buyer. With the help of some gentle nudging from Anderson and Hart, we get the group of five partners aligned for the photograph.
Even though the crowd is well-behaved, it has a mind of its own and is constantly in motion, defying any serious attempt at organization or order. The star. apparently, wouldn’t have it any other way.  And that’s one reason why no room is big enough for Willie.
But this is Nelson’s  house, so his word is law. The building officially is called Willie’s Place at Carl’s Corner, and, even though XM Radio has soundproofed its studio and is broadcasting the Willie’s Place Channel 13 around the clock with Eddie Kilroy on the air every weekday morning, workers are still busy fine-tuning the venue for September’s public debut.
At a press conference before the public concerts of July 3, one writer asked Willie and Carl if the performance venue would be a problem for truckers trying to keep on schedule. Willie’s answer, “Well, it should be better than when Carl ran a strip joint here.” We’ll see.

No one enjoys working like Tony Bennett does. The American music icon drew an amazingly diverse crowd to San Antonio’s Municipal Auditorium not long ago – all ages seem mesmerized by his beaming, exuberant, stage presence that radiates the pleasure he takes in the crowd and in performing. Standing ovations are the standard audience response from start to finish – Bennett walks on stage to the adulation of a crowd on its feet and returns for multiple encores. His voice still fills the room with its range. And no one can offer a history lesson in American music like Bennettt, with his anecdotes featuring Frank Sinatra, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and a string of notable names:  “Bob Hope gave me my name, Tony Bennett;” “Rosemary Clooney and I were the first American Idols;”  “This is Count Basie’s favorite drummer.” Tony Bennett is THE music man.