Living the Good Life In Georgetown Texas

This Wednesday January 27 marks the 5th International Holocaust Rememberance Day as designated by the United Nations in 2005 to honor all the victims of the Nazi era.

Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum Archives

  On January 27th 1945 the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp was liberated by the Allies ending one of the darkest periods in the world's history.  Now 65 years later the Georgetown Library is presenting an exhbit titled ' A Reason to Remember' from Jan 17th thru Feb 13 2010 sponsored by the Congregation Havurah Shalom of Sun City.  This traveling exhibit of photos, artifacts, and documents from five Jewish familes in the 1930's and 40's in Germany portrays the stories of life in the rural German village of Roth and is a microcosm of  life across Nazi occupied Europe and how it affected the Jewish residents.  On January 27th at 2pm the library will have a free lecture by C.S. Ragsdale, auther of 'Living Longer Than Hate', the story of Holocaust survivor William Morgan who escaped the camp at age 16.  His entire family perished and he was the only inhabitant of his village to survive.  For more information visit the United Nations Holocaust site, or the Georgetown Public Library. 

With the fridgid cold weather that has visited Central Texas and the National Title Game between my beloved UT Longhorns and Alabama, this seems like the perfect night to enjoy a hot steaming bowl of my TEXAS CHILI.  Yes folks, I"m gonna share my recipe handed down from my forefathers who developed this recipe while chasing cows and Indians and drinking cervasa with locals.  There is one caveat though, to those that might like to embellish their chili with beans.. this is a NO BEAN recipe!  If you like beans I have another recipe for that.   So enjoy the chili tonight and a few cold beers, and HOOKEM HORNS!

Texas Chili  

as handed down by Miguelito after plying him with many Shiner Bock beers.

Six Pack of Shiner Bock (if you're not from Texas.. substitute a nice dark beer)

1lb of Chili Meat(any cheap meat will do, even road kill, just chop it into chunks)

1 lb of sausage(hot or medium, if you've got a heart condition you can even use turkey sausage)

1 Med Onion, chopped

1 Stalk of Celery (chopped of course, you idiot)

1 Bell Pepper (also chopped, see above)

3 Tablespoons chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp oregeno

1/4 tsp red pepper

4 cups chicken stock (you can cheat and use bouillion cubes in 4 cups water if you dont keep old chicken fat around)

1 med jalepeno pepper seeded and finely chopped

1 large can tomato sauce

3 Tablespoons worchester sauce

Open a Shiner Bock Beer

In a large pot, brown the meat and sausage, you can use a little oil, and drain well.  Add all the chopped stuff and pour in half a beer.

Let it simmer for a bit while you mix up the powder seasonings.  Add all the seasonings to the 4 cups Chicken stock mixture and stir. 

Open another beer and the can of tomato sauce.

Pour the chicken stock/spice mixture in and add the tomato sauce.

Add the Worchester Sauce

Finish off the 2nd beer, pour a bit in the pot for good measure.

Cover and let simmer for a couple of hours, the longer the better, or just finish off the 6 pack and it's ready!

Serve with hot tortilla's, or crackers.  you can embellish with schredded cheddar cheese.

Showing the true spirit of giving this holiday season Sport Clips International headquartered in Georgetown Texas has made a donation of $250,000 to the Operation Uplink Free Call Day  program.  This generous donation has helped make it possible to expand the program to include one Free Call day a month to provide phone cards to  active duty service men deployed overseas and hospitalized veterans so that they may call home and remain in contact with their loved ones.  This is a great way for anyone to make a big difference in lifting the moral of our deployed service men and women who have sacrificed so much .  So check out the link and make a donation and help a soldier. 

In my case that song could be retitled "Oh Memory Tree, Oh Memory Tree" because  when December rolls around again and we start unpacking the ornament boxes to decorate the Christmas Tree I'm always flooded with memories from our Christmases past.   I admit that the actual process of putting up the tree can be a chore ( not so much now that we have a prelit fake tree, see previous post) but once the ornaments come out, all that changes.  Some people like to decorate sparingly, or decorate around specific themes each year.  Our theme has always been Christmas Chaos. I mean you can't have to many ornaments right? 

And speaking of ornaments.....unpacking the ornament box itself is like unwrapping presents on Christmas Morning.  Each ornament has it's own place and history on our tree.  The tree top star that we've had for 10 years is carefully packed on the top of the ornament box so that it can be placed on top of the tree first

Then as we go deeper into the ornaments we discover the plastic Noel that was bought at a dimestore and has always been front and center on our trees.

And then there is the 'First Christmas' ornament given to us back in 1977 by my dear grandmother to commerate our first year being married.  It's getting a little worn now, kinda cheesy looking actually, but then so are we. Nevertheless, it still has it's place of honor on our tree.

  Speaking of cheesy...as in photo's, there are the cute needlepoint  ornaments  that have our kids pictures in them made by my mother in law back when the kids were cute.  They have to go on the tree.

And then there are those handmade ornaments that the kids made in school.  Nothing brings back the memory of a kid rushing home to proudly place their own ornament on the tree.  They are grown now, but every year their ornaments have a special place on our tree.

   And to think little Scott now has an MBA from University of Texas...he's come a long way from when that ornament was made back in the 10th grade....just kidding!

So it all seems to come together each year, the fancy ornaments, the handmade ornaments, the flamingo ornament, the ornament from the cruise ship, the ornament from Hawaii, all the snowmen, the santas, the angels, birds, stars and bright sparkling icicles and lo and behold it looks beautiful!

  Another Tree is complete, Time  to turn down the lights get a brandy and bring back all those wonderful memories of Christmas Past, and Present.

As my son put it on his ornament years ago...'MARRY CHRIST  mas'  to all.  May your season be bright, filled with many happy memories .

It's official...the Christmas Tree 2009 is UP.  I have to admit the annual event was a lot less painful this year.  As much as I love the tradition of having a beautifully decorated Christmas Tree there were some aspects that I had come to dread.  Namely putting the lights on the tree.  Tangled lights, strands that are shorted out, finding the damn tiny fuse, prickly needles, sticky sap....all the negatives we forget during the 11 months preceding the Christmas tree event.

This year we have a pre lit, pre strung FAKE tree.  I know, I know, I said it would never happen.  but now that we have the tree up and decorated I am never going back.  No sawing the trunk shorter, no finding the 'good side', no dropping needles, no watering the tree and the resulting leaking pan, and best of all, NO STRINGING LIGHTS.  I love it! 

Here's the preliminary result.  We still have to hang all the icicles, my wife reserves that for herself, it seems I don't have the patience and end up 'flinging' them which is not acceptable according to her.      Now all we need is PRESENTS!

Have a Merry Christmas

One of the unique features of Georgetown Texas is the number of deed restricted neighborhoods intended for what is termed the Active Adult Buyer.  Typically these neighborhoods are restricted to residents 55 years and older, with no children living at home.  Other deed restrictions govern the appearance of the properties and the uses allowed leading to higher property values and a cohesive and quiet neighborhood.  One of the first local Georgetown builders to embrace this trend was Parker Builders who developed Village of River Bend I and II.      

The Village I section is completely self contained and has no thru streets so traffic is limited.  Both section I and II are located just off Williams Drive and Booty's Rd, and are withiin walking distance to shopping centers and banks.      

The homes are constructed of 100 white limestone exterior, 30 yr dimensional shingles, and the homes in section I are on zero lot line lots and feature natural landscaping and low water use lawns.  Homes are typically 2 and 3 bedroom with 1200 to 1600 sq ft in section I.     

The subdivisions were built between 1993 and 1998 and all the homes feature high ceilings and energy efficiency.    

In sectionI, deed restrictions limit fencing to wrought iron so there is a sense of space between the yards.    

The homes in section II are on larger lots that are not zero lot line, and the homes are typically a bit larger ranging up to 2400 sq ft.  They also feature 100% limestone exteriors for low maintenance.  Privacy fencing is allowed.   

The subdivision has a mandatory homeowners association but the dues are very low since the amenities are limited to the entrance signs and a small park space.  No pools, or golf courses to maintain and no social activites or community clubhouse.  The neighborhood is geared to offer high quality homes on smaller easy to maintain lots all within a setting appealing to empty nesters.  Prices typically range from a low of 120k upwards to 260k for the larger homes.    For more information about this subdivision and the other age restricted subdivisions contact me and I'll be happy to fill you in on Georgetown's Active Adult neighborhoods.

Today, December 7th is the 68th anniversary of 'The Day of Infamy" the attack and resulting tradedy of over 2400 deaths when Pearl Harbor was attacked in the early morning by Japan.  Much has been written about the events of that day and the many acts of heroism to defend the base and save the wounded.  I had an opportunity to visit Oahu and Pearl Harbor in 2008 and was moved by what I saw and experienced.  Before the visit I had always thought of the Arizona Memorial as a nondescript modernistic structure with no visible link to the battle. 

   You have to visit the site to experience the reverance and awe of a monument to the massive loss of life and to fully understand that you are visiting a grave site.  The structure spans the Battleship Arizona that was sunk while it sat moored in the harbor.  The ship was torpedoed and her magazine exploded, sinking in 9 minutes with the loss of 1177 sailors.

  That alone is enough to make you pause and think of all those lost, their loved ones, and the pain and suffering of that day.  Names on a plaque.  No these are lives ended too soon.  The first emotional impact I received that day was when I was asked one of the Park Service personal why off to the left of the 1177 names there was a seperate smaller panel of names.  "Those are the sailors who survived the attack and who have rejoined thier shipmates by being buried on the Arizona."  He went on to tell me that week a surviving twin had been interred by a Navy dive team so that he could join his brother and his shipmates in death.  I can't begin to imagine the impact that day, Dec 7th had on that man's life, so much so that he never forgot, he lived with the loss of his twin for 66 years and his last wish was to rejoin his brothers.  He wasn't alone.. there were scores of names on that plaque.

The 2nd emotional shock I received was upon leaving the memorial room and proceeding to the middle of the monument which spans the ship's bridge.  Below the surface you can actually see the deck through the clear waters of Pearl Harbor. 

 Morever, you can see the remains of the huge gun turrets sticking out of the water, you begin to get a feel for the shape and scope of the ship that lies just a few feet below the water.       And then I looked down into the ship itself.  A ladder inside the ship's mast that led down directly to the bridge area of the Arizona.  And then it struck me.  The Memorial Building is a bridge, over the Arizona's bridge.  Bowing in the middle just as the Arizona was bowed when her keel was broken by the blast. I was looking down a ladder into the past.

  A ladder to the final resting place of so many sailors. Yet the ship still lives.  There is a constant oil sheen and air bubbles on the surface a reminder that the Arizona will not succumb or be forgotten.

So today, 68 years later let us rededicate ourselves not to forget those who have sacrificed to defend our freedom.  And let us remember those dedicated servicemen and women today who honor us with their sacrifice and service to our country.  There are so many  who are alone in some outpost of the world wondering when and if they will return, and wondering if we remember them. 

Today December 7th is also the LAST DAY to send a holiday card to a serviceman or woman through the American Red Cross's Holiday Mail for Hero's program.  Please visit their web site  www.redcross.org and send a card or care package and show them that America does not forget and will not ever forget our military men and women.

What a fine day it was for the 29th Georgetown Christmas Stroll.  This celebration still has all the charm of a small town spontaneous parade combined with many many hours of volunteer planning making for the best Christmas Celebration in Central Texas.      A huge crowd turned out filling the streets with families and strollers.  There were plenty of booths of crafts to browse      and lots of good eats too.  My favorite is the kettle corn.       and how could not stop and listen to the singing nuns?  Inspirational and funny too!      But the best part is the stroll itself.  What started out as a casual small town event of local neighbors in Christmas costumes walking the downtown square with their pets    has evolved into a major parade with floats and entries continuing for blocks.  Patriotism was a popular topic this year  and my favorite entry was the Cub Scouts with their soapbox derby cars.  As a former CubScout pack leader I can remember the joy of corralling 30 eager CubScouts.     I love the the tank.. another scout had a version complete with missles.. I wouldn't want to mess with him.    and what would a small town Texas parade be without Indians????     and at the tail end of the parade is Santa.. his sleigh is pulled by a motorcycle.. you don't think we have reindeer in Texas do you?  

Ot maybe we should sing "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas" because the weather forecast for Central Texas tomorrow (Dec 4) is a 70-80% chance of snow.  Yes SNOW!  Now I know all of my blog readers up in the the northern states are yawning and thinking big deal, so what.  Well, down here in the sunny south where the snowbirds flock every November it is a BIG DEAL!.  Last time we had any appreciable snow was 10 yrs ago and that was less than an inch.  This time we might get 2-4 inches.  Should make the Christmas Stroll in Georgetown this weekend feel like Rockefeller Center in New York at Christmas.  The downside to this is Texas drivers have no concept of the white stuff and how it affects driving conditions.  Typically they jump in the family SUV or crew cab pickup and barrell down the freeway like any other day only to discover too late that they can't stop...or steer.  It's a mess of tangled vehicles and cars in ditches any time there is precipitation much less ice or snow.  Hey, we've been in a 2 year drought we forgot how to drive in wet stuff.  Mix in slick and we're in a heap of trouble down here.  So my advice is to stay home. no one is going to miss you at work anyway because everyone will be playing in the snow.  If you aren't then I hope you're either a policeman, fireman, or a wrecker driver because you'll be busy.  

Wiley waiting for snow, hoping it will make the squirrels catchable.

Come experience a home town Texas Christmas celebration and ring in the holidays and join us at Georgetown's 29th Annual Christmas Stroll this Saturday December 5th from noon to 8pm.  Americana at it's best, you will think you have stepped into a Norman Rockwell painted scene as you enjoy the parade with homemade floats, bands, choir, bell ringers,clowns, elves and more as they stroll around the square giving out candy and collecting toys for Blue Santa. The parade starts at noon, at the corner of 6th and Church and continues to the Square.  On the courthouse lawn there will be over 75 booths set up with crafts and unique holiday gifts, food vendors and restaurants will be serving plenty of treats.

Other activities include a 5k run beginning at 9 am in San Gabriel Park, 2 stages of entertainment throughout the day including choirs, bands, carolers,children shows and my favorite Tuba Christmas!

Be sure to get your picture taken with Santa in the Christmas village, visit Bethlehem Village, and for just fun take the kids to Whooville where there will be a rock climbing wall, moonwalk, clowns and a magician.

For more information or detailed schedule visit the Downtown Georgetown Association.