The Perty Toes of Texas
“One thing you gotta have here are pretty toes,” said Ashley, “because in this part of Texas you’re going to be seeing them a lot!” Ashley and Stephanie told us this as they showed off their carefully pedicured digits, just before we shoved off in our canoes to float down […]
Wanna Know What’s Going on? Find out at Raos!
The name Rao’s Bakery Cafe brings a smile to anyone’s face who lives in Beaumont. There are four such establishments here in town and one in Houston. We met Jake Tortorice Jr, the owner of them all when we stopped by for a groaning plate of his goodies…kolache, spicy sausages […]
Angler on the Village Creek
This man told us about the fishing, and how for three years there was nothing. He suggested we take this photo and blow it up big and use it to promote Southeast Texas in one of them bro-chures. He spoke with the thick accent of Louisiana and Texas. People here […]
SE Texas Has Been Battered by Rita and Ike
In conversation after conversation here in Southeast Texas, the topic of hurricanes Rita and Ike comes up. So many lives were uprooted, and nature was changed in such profound ways, I learned. We spent the morning today on the Village Creek, with water the color of weak tea and downed […]
From a Cuban Emailer, An Explanation
I interrupt this continual coverage of my trip to Southeast Texas for a poignant reminder that the world close to us is indeed not free. I just got an email from a man whose first name is Rolando, who lives in Cuba. I had noticed that someone was sending out […]
Texas Tales: Terry Thomas and the Bobcat
We beached our canoes and kayaks on a sandbar on Village Creek, a tributary of the Neches river here in Southeast Texas. It was time for lunch and stories. Our guide had plenty of both, we soon found out. The day was sunny and the paddling along this gorgeous stretch […]
Passing Tapas at Easy’s in Beaumont
Last night we got a chance to visit one of Beaumont’s favorite restaurants, which is known for being easy. Wayne and Karen Ingwerson opened up Easy’s six years ago on the main drag, Calder St. here in this oil city. “We wanted to attract an older crowd, and be a […]
A Mickie Dees Secret Told by an Angler
On the plane to Houston, I sat next to a contractor from Rindge, NH. He told me he was on his way to a fishing tournament sponsored by McDonalds. Ironically, most of the work he does is remodeling their restaurants so they can serve their new McCafe offerings, making the […]
A Call from the Reader’s Digest Fact Checker
I’m at the gate at Logan, having just consumed a delicious bowl of Starbucks instant oatmeal. They give you packets of nuts and fruits so it’s all in all a lot better than a fatty croissant or an even fattier meat-filled breakfast sandie. I gotta hand it to the battered […]
The Secret and Sad Lives of Adult Film Stars
I’ve been on a roll lately watching documentaries about the adult video business. It’s surprisingly easy to shoot these docs, because all they consist of is interspersing 8-10 interviews with people in the business, and throwing in some scenes of them hard at work to make it more interesting. The […]
No FastPass? Well, You’re Gonna Wait, and Wait
Continuing my series on life’s little joys, I get to a topic that is lighting up talk radio and the pages of the Boston Herald this week. It’s about the Mass Pike and Fastlane passes. I’ve had one of these little white boxes just above my car mirror for many […]
Now It’s "Green" to Say No to the Paper by the Door
Uh oh. Being green is starting to mean not reading that ‘free’ newspaper that’s left at the door of every Marriot and Holiday Inn across the land. Reuters reports that they get a huge discount from publishers so it’s not the money. I remember meeting a woman at a conference […]
That Post Dentist Lip Smacking Sure Feels Good
I wrote last week about some of those little things in life that delight and entertain me. I’ve got another to add to the list. That is the most satisfying feeling you get after you’ve just been to the dentist and your teeth have been newly stripped of tartar and […]
The King of Cotton Didn’t Care If You Wrote About Him
When James G. Boswell became an adult, he was given 50,000 acres of cotton fields in California’s San Joaquin Valley. He lived until he turned 86, and turned the 50,000 acres into 200,000. His obituary ran in the NY Times on Friday, but he wouldn’t have cared much, say his […]
Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Bring Me A Husband
It’s nice when a Netflix recommendation turns into a great afternoon of moviewatching. On a cold and blustery Easter on Green Lane we watched “Arranged,” a film about two women, one Muslim and one Orthodox Jew, who follow the same path to love and marriage. They meet at the school […]
If I Ever Have a Bar, It Will Be Like the ‘Voo
I think that if I ever owned a bar, it would have to be a lot like the Rendezvous in Turners Falls. Once again I joined my pals Joe and Bill and we headed up to Avenue A to Third St. to the friendly confines of this wonderful Friday night […]
Help Wanted at the Cafe
Today I got a chance to visit the new cafe in Holyoke, the Dam Cafe, and got a chance to see how things were shaping up. Like many of the locals who are dying for an alternative to Dunkin’Donuts and his new cafe has a cozy couch, a flat TV, […]