Views of the Neighborhood – All Things Texas

~ John W. Howell

Good day to you all. As you can see by the headlines we are off to look at things you see everyday in Texas. People love to decorate their houses with Texas symbols and we are going to take a look at a few. Our brunch is being catered by the Forthright Cafe in Austin. We’ve asked Toby Keith to come back since last week we had some technical difficulties.

Menu

American Breakfast
two fried eggs, sourdough toast with blueberry jam, hash-browns & choice of bacon, sausage or avocado
Biscuits & Gravy
 fluffy house-made biscuits with chicken sausage gravy add two poached eggs +3 add fried chicken
Pastrami Hash
shredded pastrami, shredded potatoes, onions, peppers, two sunny eggs, queso & salsa doña
Pork Belly Eggs Benedict
poached eggs, cherry tomato confit, arugula, hollandaise, on English muffins, pork belly
Pork Belly Chilaquiles
corn tortillas tossed in salsa roja, two sunny eggs, crispy pork belly, pickled onion, queso cotija
Turkey BLT
sourdough toast, roasted turkey, bacon, shaved lettuce, tomato jam, with house-made fries
Chicken & Waffles
 two boneless fried chicken thighs, maple honey butter, pecans, maple syrup, powdered sugar
Breakfast Sandwich
brioche Texas toast, scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, black forest ham, chipotle mayo

Picture of an old time school bus

So, get on the bus and we’ll be off.

The first stop is at a place that supports the University of Texas in a big way.

Here is another University of Texas supported but a little more reserved.

Here is a plain star but the bet is you wouldn’t see it anywhere else.

Shutters with stars.

Big ole Texas star.

A little smaller Texas star.

A Texas star mounted in glass.

I have shown this windmill before but thought the Texas colors and star on the rudder was in keeping with the tour.

A star grouping

What could be more Texas than the state used to display the house number?

Finally, a metal trellis with a star.

I hope you enjoyed the tour today and now have some food and listen to Toby Keith.

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Published by John W. Howell

I have been working in business for over forty years and now have the time to work in special areas of interest. My passion has always been to create compelling stories of fiction. I have authored six novels and am working on my Seventh. The first novel is still in manuscript form and being utilized as a door stop in the laundry room. The second is a contemporary fiction novel of 89,000 words and is complete and I am currently seeking a publisher. I also write poetry but have not had the guts to share any with anyone. The one time I read a piece to a person their only comment was, “it doesn’t rhyme.” I will continue to write and hopefully my blog, Fiction Favorites at www.johnwhowell.com will provide some entertainment and an interesting thought or two. I live in the Austin area with my wife Molly and an assortment of loving pets.

85 thoughts on “Views of the Neighborhood – All Things Texas”

  9. Firs things first, I’ll have the chicken and waffles, hold the chicken. My fav is the state outline for the address number. The music video was excellent.

    Suggestion: would chimneys be good subjects for the neighborhood tour? We have a variety of brick chimney styles here and it would be interesting to see yours.

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    1. The chimneys here re not very different. Most of the houses were built in the 60s and 70s so there were a lot of inserts installed. The chimeys for those are just siding topped with a spark retarder. I think you should do it.

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  10. Nice tour! and a lot of Longhorn fans. Did they win yesterday? Around here we have a lot of UNC flags (not in our neighborhood, though – they are forbidden) but we have a stained glass UNC ram over our front door (on the inside). I think I’ daring today and go for the pork belly chilaquiles.

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  13. I’ve always been favorably impressed with the people in Texas, from the time of my Army training there to when my daughter and her family lived there.

    Great breakfast and a nice tour of the neighborhood. Looks like a nice place to live. 🙂

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  14. I love the pastrami hash, Boss. And the stars, I really love them too. Big and bold Longhorns fan in the first capture, that was my favorite. The state of Texas imprint in one of the last captures came in a close second. I love that Texas attitude.

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  18. My neighbors have a star on the front of their home that looks just like the ones you’ve shared. It’s a wild guess, but I bet they’re from Texas. I always wondered what it meant. 😊

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  20. Nice tour and tasteful Texas symbols. I always wonder if those that put them up are native Texans or those who have adopted Texas. Either way, it is good to show some pride. I enjoyed the bisquits and gravy. Toby Keith was a perfect choice for this tour.

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  22. Finally! I’m able to check out your blog again, John, especially your Sunday tours. Always a favorite of mine, for sure! And this one is terrific. It did my heart good to see that Texas pride on display for the whole world to see. We don’t have anything quite so adaptable as a star for Florida, alas. Maybe an orange? Or a sun-blistered tourist? (Hmmm. Maybe not.) But I’m all in favor of folks being proud of their state and their country, and right now, we need to see examples of that more than ever. THANKS for sharing!

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      1. Once they began using them for the Lottery symbol, flamingoes sort of lost their appeal in many ways. Still, once in a while, I do see a couple stuck in front yards here and there. And I’ve read that even though they were considered a non-native, invasive species for nearly a century, it looks like they are being reclassified as a native now, and will be receiving state and federal protection. That could mean a sudden resurgence of yard flamingoes far and wide.

        You know, you might be on to something, here. 😁

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  31. We’ve got a bucket-load of houses here with those big ole stars on them, but I’m having trouble believing they’re all Longhorns fans. I suspect they saw them in some flea market and thought they’d be attractive. I really like the one with the state’s outline on the house number though!

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      1. Of course I’ll have to saute the alfalfa first. then pour on some tomato sauce. It would be a kind of very chewy pasta dish. Add cheese, and it will never leave your stomach. No need to buy food ever again!

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