Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2024 i Texas Highways Magazine

Kenny Braun has shot countless Texas Highways photographs since he started working with the magazine in 2002. He took this month’s cover photo while on assignment for an April Stay department story. “I was in Rockport photographing the boutique hotel Reel ’Em Inn,” Braun says. “It was the first evening of my stay, and as the sun set, the wind stopped, leaving behind a glassy sheet of water.” Braun says he’s learned over the years that great photographs aren’t always planned. “While I know what I hope to capture, I’ve learned to stay open to the unexpected,” the Austin-based photographer says. “And often, it’s in those dynamic moments that the best images are made.”…

SOMETIMES CAPTURING A great photo means hiking in the dark. Photo Editor Brandon Jakobeit shot the above photo for a 2018 story on scaling five West Texas peaks in a week. While trekking to the top of Guadalupe Peak, the group decided to camp near the summit to capitalize on the morning light at the top. “I had fallen behind my companions stopping to take photos,” Jakobeit recalls. “This image was the remaining sunlight coming across the tops of the mountain just before dark set in.” Despite having to finish the rest of the hike after sunset, Jakobeit counts that experience as a highlight of his decade of work at the magazine. This issue is a celebration of our photographers’ and art staff ’s commitment to capturing the most beautiful…

T’S 10:37 P.M., and I’m kneeling in a boat I on B.A. Steinhagen Lake, roughly 125 miles northeast of Houston. My right hand clutches the yellow-and-black striped tail of a 3.5-foot alligator; my left hand grips its neck. At 7 pounds, this pseudo-dinosaur with 80 sharp teeth and a ferocious bite weighs less than a miniature poodle but isn’t nearly as cuddly. Moments earlier, Randall Kroll, a wildlife biologist at Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, used a deepsea fishing rod to hook the gator beneath one of its bony scales, then pulled it aboard with his bare hands. Working quickly, he wraps its jaws in electrical tape, but it still squeezes out a few unsettling barks. “That’s the call for its momma,” Kroll explains. “Let’s hope she doesn’t arrive,” my…

BIG BEND COUNTRY ALPINE Christmas in Alpine Dec. 1 An array of holiday activities awaits, including a Christmas parade, a bazaar, and a tour of historical adobe homes. Downtown, 201 W. Ave. E. 713-515-1204; visit alpinetx.com/christmas DEL RIO Wild Game Dinner Dec. 7 The dinner includes a winter fair and live entertainment. Del Rio Civic Center, 1915 Veterans Blvd. 830-775-3551; facebook.com/drccwildgamedinner MONAHANS Lighted Christmas Parade and Christmas in the Dunes Dec. 6-7 The whole family can enjoy ice-skating, live performances, craft and food vendors, visits with Santa, cookie decorating, ornament making, and a surprise appearance by the Grinch. Ward County Event Center, 1525 E. Monahans Parkway. 432-943-2187; tinyurl.com/rwanktd9 VAN HORN Lighted Christmas Parade and Shopping Bazaar Dec. 6-7 Van Horn rings in the season with the annual Christmas tree…

H-E-Buddies After reading your good article on H-E-B [“In Good Company,” November], I must tell you my story. In 2020, when the country was locked down due to Covid, H-E-B waived the delivery fee, which was a big help to this 91-year-old gal. I got the president’s name and address off the internet and wrote him a thank-you note. I was so pleased when he wrote me a nice note back. Months later I was frustrated that I still could not get certain items for two of my favorite recipes, and I decided to write him and tell him my predicament. As I was hosting bridge one afternoon, the doorbell rang and there stood a young gal, Delila, and a young man, Jesse, from H-E-B. Jesse said they had some…

HOLIDAY TRADITIONS OFTEN mean cozying up at home, but taking a staycation can be a magical way to create new traditions. And in true Texas style, there are hotels all over the state that do it up big. Whether you want to experience faux snow showers, make festive arts and crafts with elves, or view over-the-top light displays, options abound. JW Marriott Hill Country Resort & Spa is the epitome of lavish holiday décor. The grand yet inviting lobby is decked out with wreaths, stockings, garland, and multiple Christmas trees; a 30-foot Christmas tree on the lawn overlooks rolling hills; and dozens of wintery activities occupy young and old, from snow tubing to snowball target practice with real snow. This year for the first time, the resort will host ICE!…

WHILE THE FILM AND TV INDUSTRIES demand an endless churn of content for the streaming generation, Jeff Nichols has instead opted for a careful and deliberate pace as a talented auteur. Over the course of six feature films in 17 years, the screenwriter and director has proven a master of capturing human nature with stories that distill epic narratives into singular, unforgettable moments. Take his latest movie, The Bikeriders, when Jodie Comer’s character Kathy climbs onto the back of a motorcycle for the first time with Benny, played by Austin Butler. As she sinks her face into the back of his dusty denim jacket, the scene is simultaneously immediate and timeless. Though an Arkansas native, Nichols has lived in Central Texas for over 20 years. The Third Coast of filmmaking pioneered…

WE USED TO GET UP EARLIER for this, W but we’re older now and the herd is smaller. We’re down to 50 head, which is just enough to turn a meager profit in a good year, hay prices and natural disasters notwithstanding. It’s still somewhat a family affair. The new team consists of my dad, Daniel Kilian; my brother, John Daniel Kilian (JD); my nephew, Jacob Daniel Kilian (Jake); my dad’s best friend, Daniel Kasper, who’s just there to cut up and fart around; Ricky, the one hand who actually earns his 50 bucks for the day; and Ricky’s 12-year-old son, who goes by Hardhead. I assume this child has a government name, but he’s been called Hardhead since birth. The boy answers to it. It’s Saturday morning in Central Texas—time…

“This story was about high school football in Odessa: the Odessa Bronchos versus the Permian Panthers, the town’s only two high schools. What’s more exciting than throwing the football around before a big game? I had to sit on my knees, wait for the moment, and hope the young man caught the ball so I wouldn’t get hit.” —Christ Chávez “When I saw this perfect combination of light, shadow, and steam, I knew right away it would make a cool shot. As brewer Suy Dinh checked on his Vietnamese moonshine, I positioned myself in a place where I could get a cool angle on the moment that was unfolding. The subjects at SuTi Craft Distillery near Fort Worth were great—super friendly and accommodating.” —Trevor Paulhus “I wanted to call these…

ALTHOUGH ADÁN MEDRANO spent much of his childhood in his mother’s Central Texas kitchen, surrounded by the smells of sweet pork empanadas baking in the oven and nopales sautéed with onion, there was much he didn’t know about his family’s native cuisine. So, following his graduation from Creighton University, he traveled to Mexico City and Oaxaca before launching his culinary career in Houston. South of the border, he was surrounded by Indigenous ingredients such as chayote root, fava beans, and hoja santa—a tropical herb identifiable by its massive heart-shaped leaves and a flavor akin to anise and sarsaparilla. A novelty to Medrano at the time, it’s long been a staple of Mexican cuisine, where it’s often used to wrap whitefish or tamales. Native to Mesoamerica—from central and southern Mexico all the…

HERE COME THE HEREFORDS, charging past the pens at Pitchfork Ranch, a 165,000-acre slice of Southern Plains west of Guthrie along the South Wichita River. It’s December 1976, and these ruminants have just been put through the ringer: a cattle roundup, which was a harrowing experience for all animals involved. On the other hoof, rowdy ranch hands rejoice over cobbler and sourdough biscuits prepared in a Dutch oven, chuckwagon style. Roundups have long been a fixture of cowboy culture on the state’s legendary ranches, such as the Goodnight, Kleberg, Chisholm, and Loving. This Texas Highways photo by Jack Lewis was taken on such an occasion, as the livestock left their handlers behind and headed for greener pastures. Know of any fascinating vintage Texas photographs? Send copies or ideas to letters@texashighways.com…

Chasing Waterfalls Dallas native Andrea Luttrell dives into the history of the Dallas waterfall billboard, which debuted in 1962 as an ad for San Antonio’s Pearl lager beer. Designed by the international company Tracy-Locke, it held the honor of being the biggest beer ad in the world at 45 feet high and around 150 feet long. Rumor has it the billboard once inspired thrill-seekers to scale it and skinny dip in its cool waters. South for the Winter Of all Texas’ creepy-crawlies, the monarch butterfly was adopted by the Legislature as the official state insect in 1995. But Texas hosts more than just the regal monarch—over 442 species of butterflies have been recorded here, making it the nation’s most diverse state for butterflies. Since fall is their busiest time in…

TH RECOMMENDS Santa’s Little Helpers Holiday cheer knows no age, which has never been more apparent to me than when my friends and I visited Grapevine—the self-proclaimed Christmas Capital of Texas—a few years ago. We headed to the North Texas town expecting to see pretty lights, drink hot cocoa, and catch a ride on Santa’s North Pole Express train. But as we wandered down Main Street, we signed up for the Elf Adventure—a $10 pass that guided us through different shops where we made ornaments out of tinsel, stamped our own brass key chains, and crafted festive bookmarks. Though the pass is likely intended for children, we put aside our 20-something inhibitions and had a memorable Christmas outing. This year’s adventure includes decorating a vintage Christmas card on an 1881…

MICHAEL ROBERTSON GREW up singing church songs out of hymn books—classics like “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior” and “Lord, I Want to Be a Christian.” He attended Methodist and Baptist churches where music wasn’t known for extravagance, and choirs weren’t allowed to move, clap, or jump. But in 1965, he experienced something transformative. A now-bygone Houston gospel quartet, the Echoes of Zion, was singing in an old storefront-turnedchurch in his Fifth Ward neighborhood. “It was the sound and the energy that I noticed,” says Robertson, who went on to be a lead singer in the group Endurance of Houston. “You can hear these beautiful voices, the guitars and the drums, and it was call and response—‘Oh, Mary, don’t you weep, don’t you mourn.’” Black gospel has influenced American culture…

By his own estimation, J. Griffis Smith drove nearly 300,000 miles for assignments across the state during his 30-year career as a Texas Highways photographer and photo editor. That amounts to hundreds of scenic locations where Smith waited for just the right sunlight to get the shot; hundreds of hesitant subjects who needed just the right pep talk; and thousands of static objects that needed just the right creative vision to pop on the page. “I would imagine the viewer being on my shoulder with me while I was shooting,” says Smith, who retired in August 2014. “I was trying to make it so when someone would look at the pictures in print, it was like they were there.” Smith’s creativity and work ethic helped define the look of the…

WHEN AGRICULTUR-IST and developer Biagio Varisco invested money earned through the family’s cotton business to build a seven-story building in 1948, he couldn’t have imagined the stories that would unfold in what would become the tallest building in Bryan. Tales swirled for decades about the building’s rooftop dance floor, hidden safes filled with cash, and famous guests, including Alabama football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, who played poker in one of the upstairs rooms. One Friday night, Varisco—commonly known as Brazos—lost the whole investment on a bad bet, then won it back on a Sunday before the title could change. Today, the historic Varisco Building wraps its arms around the lore and holds it tight. Its newest tenants, downtown Bryan’s first craft distillers, chose the name Hush & Whisper partly because…