Just Fiddlin’ Around, an article I wrote on Texas Bluegrass, appeared recently in Texas Journey Magazine, and I promised videos and extra content – a promise I’ve been slow on delivering, due to my overcommitted work and travel schedule.

Here at long last is the first of the two videos I promised:

Keep an eye on this spot for a video demonstration of the amazing Doyle Campbell, a truly original bluegrasser who makes instruments out of everything from washtubs to bedpans to a dog dish. Also, an interview with the Pickin’ Professor Rod Moag, and a link to his article, A History of Texas Bluegrass, which contains everything you’ll every want to know on the subject.

Thank you for your patience, those of you who have been looking for the promised videos and extra content. I appreciate your readership and your support!

Here, Dr. Mark Vorderbruggen (aka “Merriwether the Adventurer“) leads a workshop on foraging for wild edibles. Literally dozens of apparent weeds lurking about the corners of the property, as it turns out, are as edible as the lush greens we cultivate at the farm. Here’s one of his finest innovations: an iPod field guide.

Farmer Joe Icet led discussions of food security – a concept many hadn’t given much thought to, but after chatting with Joe, we began to think about it some more. With just three days’ food supply on local supermarket shelves, it’s an idea that does bear some serious consideration as we prepare for emergencies. Looking ahead, he points out, it makes sense to prepare for times when cheap oil for transport is history. His answer: “Guerilla gardening!”

Farmer Marcella Icet is an organic gourmet – no matter what the vegetable, she’s got a trick for turning it into something divine.

Mona Metzger, Houston Green Scene founder, is a frequent farmer, a community networker and an organizer of excellent events. Landowner Ken Crimmins, self-described “taxpayer in residence.”

Radical Eats provided some truly original tamales – eggplant, mushroom and spinach, and a variety of other delectable concotions.

Snow Dogg Ice Cream provided the dessert.

Lisa Lin, left, of Emerging Green Builders is one of the main organizers of the local 350 movement, aimed at reducing global greenhouse gases to a safe level – 350 parts per million. Our atmosphere is currently at nearly 380, and scientific consensus says that the results are just beginning.

Learn more about the Last Organic Outpost’s new “Living Off the Land” dining and learning series at the Last Concert Cafe on their Facebook page.

Learn more about what’s happening on the Green side of Houston at the Houston Green Scene.

More of Mona Metzger’s Farm Party pix here:
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Here it is:

First-time climber conquers fears at Enchanted Rock

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Top hats and bustles were de rigeur throughout the historic district. From a British jokester and juggler on Old Galveston Square to a costume contest judged by Galveston’s own “Queen Victoria,” bagpipes on the Tall Ship Elissa and camel and elephant and pony rides over on 21st Street, the festivities had a decidedly 18th century British feel.

Traditional Texas festival fare was generously sprinkled with European offerings like Scandanavian glogg (warm spiced red wine) and Scottish eggs (wrapped in sausage and fried), candied apples and cakes and breads and pastries.

Jack King surveyed the crowd from behind the colorful taffy collection at the back of La King’s Confectionary, which has become an institution on the Strand after 33 years. Like most of the 19th Century buildings in this historic district, his had to be completely gutted and rebuilt, from the floors to the staircases. The place has an old-timey feel, though, and it’s hard to imagine these pine-wood floors and wrought-iron railings are anything but old.

King reminsiced about his first Dickens on the Strand back in 1976, just three years after the festival had begun. “That year it was so cold the doors froze shut,” he said. This year the chill in the air was just enough to lend an air of festivity, but the confectionary was filled with revelers seeking warmth and a cup of hot chocolate, a candied apple or a sample of his handcrafted candies.

This year the festival filled 10 square blocks including Ship’s Mechanic Row and Strand streets, home to one of the country’s largest collections of iron-front commercial buildings. Those ornate ironworks were already showing their age, however, when Hurricane Ike sped up the deterioration with its salty waters. This year Galveston made the Most Endangered Places list of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and fundraising efforts for restoration projects like the 1878 First National Bank Building are underway. For more information about that project, see The Galveston Arts Center website, and for Galveston’s historic preservation efforts in general, see the Galveston Historical Foundation.

The festival began in the dark days of the Strand, when the Galveston Historical Foundation was casting about for ways to rebuild a decaying treasure. The first few years, lifelong Galvestonian Christine Hopkins told me, the festival was held only at night, when the festive lighting cast the shabby Victorian buildings at their romantic best.

Eventually, a multimillion-dollar restoration brought the charming historic downtown to life, but the city took another big hit last year when Ike deposited eight feet of floodwaters in the streets of downtown.

Nonetheless, Galvestonians being the hardy lot they are, the town has rallied impressively. A visit a few weeks ago with my daughter showed just how far the city’s come.

Here’s a little glimpse of a sunny day a couple of weeks ago.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Channel 39’s Going Green With Yolanda Green caught a great slice of celebratory life in a two-part video tour, now available on their website – and here. Enjoy!

Catalan, an anchor of the newly thriving Washington corridor, has caught the eye of many a writer in the couple of years since it’s opened, right up to the New York Times, and master chef Chris Shepherd is a big reason why. His bold, no-holds-barred, what-the-hell style has earned him a following that’s as passionate as his own commitment to his art. But what really drew me was his staunch advocacy of the buy local movement. He plans his entire menu around what he finds at the local farmers’ markets and what local growers can provide him.

“It’s not just the right thing to do; it means better quality,” he explained when I met him on Friday. He was already cooking up plans for Sunday’s feast, and when he invited me, of course I couldn’t resist.

It all started when Farmer John Laughlin showed up on his doorstep with a wild boar. Laughlin’s farm kept getting raided by these wild hogs, and nothing he did could drive them away.

“Finally, he decided to bring them in and fatten them up,” Shepherd said.

One of those boars ended up on Shepherd’s menu, and he decided to make an occasion of it.

It’s hard to imagine an animal as inelegant as a wild hog becoming the chief ingredient for an occasion as classy as this one, but Chef Chris pulled it off. “We’re going to take you on a little trip around the world with this wild boar,” he promised – and he did.

My friends and I showed up at the appointed time and were greeted with kumquat-infused vodka iced tea (”There was a little lady with a bucket of kumquats at the market, and she was excited that we were willing to pay an exorbitant price for them. We just soaked them in some Dripping Springs Vodka… it seemed like the right thing to do.”

Now I am not a huge eater of meat, especially of the red variety. And I confess I did have some passing thoughts about the boar who gave his life that we might feast. But Shepherd reassured us on this point. “As Laughlin likes to say, ‘Our pigs have only one bad day.’” I was also impressed with his commitment to use every ounce of the 300-pound creature, from the snout to the tail. But that would take awhile. First, there was the feast.

The tour began in Mexico, with a savory pozole that called to mind my days living in a village in the south of Mexico, where the ladies gather on the plaza every Friday to serve this style of “white pozole.” This savory soup, topped with fresh chopped cilantro and onion and a squeeze of lime, highlights the pork, unlike the tomatoey version served in Jalisco that dominates Mexican restaurants here.

As an aside, I must mention Shepherd’s fascination with street food of different countries. His menu of small plates is a tour of street food from around the world, topped with the flakiest empanadas imaginable. His flair with the commonplace gives his work an imaginative twist that can only be seen to be appreciated. But commonplace his meals are not. If the delicious freshness of the pozole weren’t enough, there was the 2006 Jacques Puffeney Arbois Rouge Trousseau “Cuvée Les Bérangeres” to accompany it – the first in a lineup of pairings that elevated the excellent to the exquisite.

Next we took a sharp turn to the Far East with a tender, flavorful Wild Boar Satay.

“Every Southeast Asian country calls this their own,” said Shepherd, who came out between courses to visit with the group. The Oklahoma native’s entertaining, down-to-earth style is as much an attraction to these meals as the generous spirit with which he infuses his cuisine.

The satay was followed by another Eastern palate-pleaser, Indonesian Boar Rendang, a rich stew with a melange of spices and topped with a delicate arrangement of sweet potato leaves — so delightful to the palate that I could have stopped right there and called it dessert.

But that was not to be: heading back toward the Mediterranean, the Wild Boar Bolognese with Crispy Eggplant was my personal favorite, with butternut squash layered in with a cheesy mixture that I confess I was enjoying too much to remember his generous explanation.

By now I was ready to grunt and roll into bed. This was followed by a full-circle trip back down home to Mama’s Sunday Night Boar Meatloaf, paired with an elegant Italian red. And it’s not nice to say no to Mama.

This is when I really should have said enough is enough. But dessert was nigh, and how could I refuse? Local Pear Crumble, with boar bacon and maple gastrique, topped with vanilla ice cream, awaited, along with a sweet Rhone wine.

At the risk of severe overindulgence, I partook. I could always fast on Monday. But Sunday, down to the last drop, was divine.

The New Houston: It’s not what you think

It was the perfect New Houston moment: A Pavarotti-like voice pulsed over the green lawns and the sparkling lake of Discovery Green. A sumptuously dressed cast beamed Macbeth from an inflatable screen, towering over a thousand people of all ages, colors and sizes. Some lounged in lawn chairs or on blankets spread on the green grass; some watched from the patios of nearby restaurants. Some munched hamburgers; others drank beer.

This was the Grand Opera’s first Citycast, performed at Wortham Center and broadcast live on public radio and at public places including Discovery Green, the new showpiece of art, culture and green technology that Houston wrested from a jumble of parking lots in 2008.

This was not the Houston of the cattle drives or the oil tycoons or the petrochemical industry, which is what most people think about when they think of this city, if they think of it at all. Which is a shame, because they are missing out on one of the country’s truly great international metropolises.

To read the rest of the story, click Meet Houston.

To read the rest of the package – “Live” and “Play” by Natalie Bogan; “Work and “Learn,” by Bill Hensel Jr.; and “Eat” by Dai Huynh, click Southwest_Spirit_September_2009. Warning: it’s a large file and will take some time to download.

San Antonio's West Side is alive with color, and scattered with murals that tell its stories.

There’s a touch of irony in the Alamo’s stature as the No. 1 stop on the San Antonio tourist trail. The Alamo was all about the battle to wrest Texas from Mexico. Though Santa Anna lost the war, he won the battle in San Antonio, and the Mexican spirit has prevailed – which is the other part of what people come to see. Hispanic influence touches everything: the art, the literature, the music, the cuisine, the activism. And that’s a huge part of what makes San Antonio so special.

Tracy and Peter on the River Walk

In honor of Travel Detective Peter Greenberg, who has invited me to appear on his excellent travel show, Peter Greenberg Worldwide, I’ve put together a list of my favorite off-the-tour-bus San Anto sights and experiences. Listen to the podcast here, and browse Peter’s site for a wealth of travel news. Peter’s logged more miles than anyone I know, and amazingly, he finds time to serve as a volunteer firefighter in Long Island on the weekends. And please add your favorite San Antonio haunts in the comment section below.

To begin, you need to find out what’s going on in town when you arrive and drop in on an art opening, a poetry reading or a concert before diving into the sumptuous restaurant scene. Check the Downtown Blog and the Events Calendar by downtown denizen Ben Olivo of the SA Express-News and the events calendar of the San Antonio Current to be in the know.

Downtown

* Main Plaza, scene of many free concerts, San Fernando Cathedral and the historic town square

* La Villita, another concert, festival and gallery venue amid San Antonio’s oldest neighborhood.

* Hemisfair Park, a lushly fountained and landscaped park created for the 1968 World’s Fair, is a quiet getaway where you can explore spectacular public art, drop by the Institute of Mexican Culture and take a ride up in the Tower of the Americas to have a drink and watch the sunset at The Chart House restaurant.

* Museo Alameda, the Hispanic Smithsonian, right on the corner of Market Square – don’t miss the gift shop, the quirky, kitschy creation of San Antonio artist Franco Mondini-Ruiz.

* King William District – The city’s German heritage and history is concentrated here, with mansions, galleries, and eateries (Azuca, La Foccacia, Cascabel, Gunther House, Mad Hatter Tea Room).

West Side:

The West Side has a reputation that comes from its long history as a low-income area. But it’s also the birthplace of a vibrant arts scene, and the casual visitor will find a colorful, welcoming community full of Mexican and Chicano culture, authentic pride and some of the world’s best tacos. For me, the West Side is the true heart of San Antonio.

* Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, a beautiful arts venue and culture center. Everything from the Tejano and conjunto music of San Antonio native Flaco Jimenez to the Latin American film festival to live teatro campesino can be seen here, and the gift shop is full of great finds. Here is where you’ll find the supersized Virgin of Guadalupe candle, a spectacular mosaic created by San Antonio artist Jesse Trevino. The artist, a veteran, lost his painting hand in the Vietnam War, and his struggle to express his vision has made him the beloved artist laureate of San Antonio.

* San Anto Cultural Arts Center: This nonprofit works with West Side youth to engage their energy in the arts. One outgrowth has been the fantastic collection of murals that you can see scattered throughout the neighborhood. Contact Ruth Buentello at ruth@sananto.org to set up a mural tour.

* Zarzamora Street: Once you’ve seen the Guadalupe Center, continue down Guadalupe Street until you hit Zarzamora and go right. This will take you past dozens of brightly painted, hand-lettered family businesses from panaderias – old-fashioned bakeries, where you should stop and sample some pan dulce and breathe in the aroma of fresh-baked bread – and botanicas, Mexican-style herb shops where you can find anything from dried una de gato to santeria candles. Continue on to Culebra, where you’ll find the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower, on to Cincinnati, where you can stop at the little fruteria and have a fruit cup or a fruit-flavored raspa, the San Antonio version of a Sno-cone.

Turn left at Cincinnati and proceed until you see Woodlawn Lake, where you may want to park and stretch your legs, watch the families and the joggers and the fishermen. Rio Grande Tacos at the corner of Zarzamora and Cincinnati is my favorite mobile taqueria, where the tacos de lengua on handmade corn tortillas taste just like the ones in Mexico.

* Art galleries like Centro Cultural Aztlan also highlight the best of the area’s Mexican and Chicano culture. This gallery, together with other local arts groups, make the West Side the place to be for Dia de los Muertos, when the dead come to life in various funny and poignant performances. Another excellent West Side gallery is Bihl House Arts, a multicultural, multi-thematic gallery and performance/event venue located, interestingly, in a historic home inside a senior living complex.

East side:

* The new, expanded River Walk: The Museum Reach of the famous River Walk is now halfway finished, and is already a showcase for the San Antonio Museum of Art and the newly hip and happening Pearl Brewery Complex, where you can eat at the Texas Farm to Table restaurant, check out the goodies and listen to live music at theFarmer’s Market (on Saturday mornings) and shop at specialty boutiques like theMelissa Guerra Tienda de Cocina. Soon the river will also reach the Witte Museum and Brackenridge Park, two worthy destinations in themselves.

For now, you can hop onto Broadway to explore the park’s winding trails through lush old-growth forest, enjoy the public art, visit the spectacular Japanese Tea Garden with its waterfall, stone stairways and bridges, fantastic pagoda and poignant history. The beautiful San Antonio Zoo is also located here.

Barney Smith’s Toilet Seat Art Museum in Alamo Heights – this retired plumber has done wonders with an entirely original medium. Call ahead for an appointment.

Also in Alamo Heights is the Alamo Quarry Market, an open-air shopping center in the site of the original quarry, source of much of the limestone that built San Antonio. In a nice historic touch, vintage machinery is worked into the landscaping to connect the modern hustle-and-bustle with times long gone.

Central Market, a foodie’s paradise, and the lovely McNay Museum, a former mansion housing Picassos, Gaugins and Rodins, are also worth your time.

St. Paul Square & Sunset Station – Just east of downtown, this events venue captures a slice of the picturesque Old West architecture, with a Spanish twist.

North central:

San Pedro Park, the second oldest municipal park in the country, offers the beautiful, bubbling San Pedro Springs, a large reflecting pool and a quiet refuge under the live oaks.

Across the street is the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, which recently celebrated 20 years of its colorful fusion of the arts, Latino culture and activism.

The Monte Vista Historical District boasts as many beautiful turn-of-the-century mansions as the better-known King William District,  plus it has a complex of fun and fancy restaurants by the chef-artist-entrepreneur-showman Damien Watel, a descendent of a chef to King Louis the XIV. Check them out here: Bistro Vatel, Ciao Lavanderia (a former laundromat), Ciao Vino (a former nail salon), and now the Bistro Bakery (the former Yarn Barn).

South Side:

San Antonio’s south side, like the west side, is a showcase for Hispanic culture, but it has a slowed-down, much more rural, even agricultural feel to it. Some of the city’s best tacos are on South Presa at the Taco Haven. Mix and mingle with a colorful cast of locals and admire some beautiful murals, including one across the street depicting local hero Emma Tenayuca and the 1930s pecan shellers strike.

South Flores, affectionately referred to as SoFlo, is home to great galleries like Gallista and Salon Mijangos. It especially comes alive on Second Saturdays, when the area around those two galleries becomes a big street party.

The best part of the South Side, though, is the Missions – and the best way to see them is by bike on the San Antonio Missions Trail, a National Historical Park. Download your map here, rent your bicycle and a rack from Hank Estrada at Charles James Bicycle Co. on Main Street, and head on down to Mission Concepcion, where you can talk with the rangers, head to San Juan Capistrano, hike the trail to the river, head along the river to Mission Espada & Acequias. If you’re tight on time, you can make arrangements to rent a rack or have a shuttle service so you can start at Mission Concepcion, but call ahead and give two days’ notice for this service.

Mission San Jose is a little out of the way, so you may want to save it for last, or just drive there – give yourself at least an hour at this showcase, and stay for the beautiful 20-minute film narrated by bilingual Tejana songwriter Tish Hinojosa.

Outside the Loop:

Loop 410 marks a whole other layer of San Antonio, one that’s more modern and affluent in the north, and more rural and agricultural in the south. This less urban area makes it a popular spot for hotels and resorts, like the Hyatt Wild Oak Ranch, offering travelers a more relaxed and scenic environment while still being just a quick drive to downtown.

North Star Mall is worth a gander, if nothing else for the world’s largest cowboy boots in front and visible from the 410 loop. The newer and more extravagant La Cantera is further afield but is drawing rave reviews from shoppers as well as visitors to its resort, and Artisan Alley near the airport is a fun and quaint reminder of the old-fashioned pedestrian village style.

For the more nature-inclined, a taste of Hill Country wilderness is available at the city’s beautiful natural areas, such as Freidrich Wilderness Area, Government Canyon, Eisenhower Park, Wilder Ranch, and Comanche Hill. On the south side, Mitchell Lake is a prime birding area, with more than 300 resident species.

(Note to readers: This post is sponsored by SellMyTimeshareNOW.com, an online timeshare resale and rental platform where you can find great deals on San Antonio accommodations.)

Channel 39’s Going Green With Yolanda Green, Houston’s only TV program dedicated to sustainability, is now featuring my blog on its website, www.39online.com. Going Green is an exciting initiative in itself, with Yolanda bringing conservation initiatives to a whole new audience. From the new smart grid technology to invasive species, Yolanda is on it, and all her episodes and a whole lot more can be viewed on the website. Since my focus is sustainable travel – including attractions here at home in Houston – it seemed a perfect fit. Scroll down to the area next to Going Green Highlights to find Roads Less Traveled.

I’ll also be collaborating with Houston Green Scene, which will feature a weekly column from my blog pertaining to sustainability at home and sustainable travel elsewhere. Houston Green Scene is an innovative new website and forum founded by local entrepreneur Mona Metzger covering green initiatives in the Houston area.

Especially if you live in the Houston area, but even if you don’t, take a minute to check out Going Green With Yolanda Green and the Houston Green Scene. You can also follow them on Twitter – @HoustonGreenScn and @YolandaGreen39 – and on Facebook.

Other environmental initiatives I’ve become involved in are the Last Organic Outpost, an urban farm in the inner city that’s currently planning a knockout Harvest Festival and the Transition Houston group, part of a rapidly growing global movement preparing for a sustainable transition to a less petroleum-dependent future. More on both of these later — but meanwhile, it’s good to know that there’s a whole lot going on in Houston’s green scene, and I’m proud to be a part of it.