Don't Mess with Pleasure Island

 

This is why you don’t Mess With Texas

Who knew one of the biggest challenges of picking up trash is keeping your bag open?
Tiffany Hamilton of the Port Arthur City Council arranged a Saturday morning cleanup of Pleasure Island. Her family, island residents and others who want to keep the area looking nice picked up water bottles, beer cans, fishing paraphernalia and random items of interest to get the levee and pier area looking good. 

Empty bags filled with wind and fought us until they were partially loaded, there was heat, ants and scratchy plants. There was a lot of love put in there and then there was lunch at Sharky’s Grill. A tasty reward.

Hamilton’s mother, known at Honey, makes an orange safety vest look good. She maintained high energy while working hard. She got philosophical while clamping that refuse with her trash stick and said we tend to get back and give as far as the environment goes. Naturally, we want people to enjoy Sabine Lake for fishing, birding and views, so we should keep it clean.

Carolyn Worsham does her own cleanup all the time. She has sports a vest that says Trash Patrol. Worsham points out that a whole lot of waste was on the ground within a few feet of a provided trash can.

Don’t mess with Pleasure Island.

Hamilton is ready to do this Helping Hands project again. To join in, contact Tiffany L. Hamilton at 409-300-5791, tiffany.hamilton@portarthurtx.gov

No.2 in Jet

         Beards go way beyond hipsters, but I sure like that they’ve brought product and grooming back to the facial hair lovers community. Are you into it so much that you need a razor strop? Bison Made has you covered.

         Look up this Phoenix-based studio at www.bisonmade.com to see how they’ve been using aromatic Chromexcel leather tanned by Horween in Chicago.
         I’m holding a sleek No. 2 wallet in jet black that’s designed to stash credit and business cards with cash for a slim fit in the pocket. These may be designed for men, but the look is classic and the bison stamp makes it old-school and timely and classic all at once. Did I mention the rich, leathery smell? This is 100 percent leather with no linings, rubber or glue and a lifetime warranty on stitching. It’s handcrafted in the U.S.A. and ready to use for everything and pass along to future generations. It holds what you need to bring to the pool or the club and won't bulk up your wasteline. 
darraghcastillo@icloud.com
        

darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Peggy's on the Bayou

 

Peggy's on the Bayou
Googling is kind of like today's version of throwing a dart on the map to decide where to go.
That's how we wound up at Peggy's on East Roundbunch Road in the Orange area. The phone indicated it was near our destination and we pulled up a menu offering pistolets. I was soon parking in the shell lot and ordering a soft shell crab poor boy.
After my husband and I shared the piping hot crawfish pistolet, we shared tge sandwich, which I disassembled so as to get a good look at the fried crab. It's legs were like crispy bites of air. Then I got a body bite with the jalapeño bread, sauces and my added Tabasco. Heaven.
I was hoping the server would not come around during my final few bites. I wanted no distractions. When she did come to collect a very empty plate, she noted she had enjoyed watching me enjoy that poor boy.
Peggy's really is right on the water and there was some boat traffic. Be sure to go out the back door to the screened-in area, but don't go through the second door or you'll be IN the bayou.

A great Depression read

I wasn’t there, but I’ve heard people recall details of The Great Depression. Betty Reed has written “The Winds of Time,” a “largely autobiographical” work detailing her life and travels through Arkansas, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado. Families were displaces and living whenever they could. I can’t imagine living with relatives who seemed to watch every bite I’d take. Food was just one thing that was scarce.
The author is very good at memories like the texture of a biscuit and the details of ornate silver tableware. Dorrance Publishing Co. has released this collection, that thankfully comes with lots of photos of this woman’s storied life.

darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Lady Bird Johnson's wildflower legacy

 

Lady  Bird’s legacy

I officially get why artists want to paint bluebonnets. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center has made me even more Texas proud, if that is possible. Maybe climbing the tower for a panoramic view was my favorite, or coming across exercise equipment in an open field of flowers, or noting how the visitors center had just-picked fresh flowers so you’d know just what you were observing.

The gift shop is cool, too, and would you believe that way down Austin way, I heard my name called and there was a woman from Orange.

Summer health and beauty

Hope you’re absorbing everything from road trip adventures to the proper amount of fun-in-the sun, with sunscreen, of course. Here’s some summer health and beauty finds to enhance your indulgence time:

* Wet Brush: Just holding the smooth bamboo and evergreen wood of  Wet Brush Earth feels calming. It’s personal time. I could bond with it. A hairbrush is an everyday tool many don’t consider replacing. Inspect yours for age, sanitation and durability. Use Wet Brush in the shower. It’s also good for dry brushing of  you and wigs and extensions. Proceeds go toward Charity: Water – an organization that brings clean drinking water to communities in developing countries. 

            What a brush and what a cause, but wait, there’s more. Wet Brush USA lets you  detangle for the Stars and Stripes. That’s in the press materials, I didn’t make that up. This plastic brush with patriotic markings also has bristles of ease and 20 percent of sales support Wounded Warrior Project. Time to replace your brushes? Take a look at these options.

* Rootology sent me samples of Breathe Free, fast-acting, non-drowsy nasal and sinus relief to help with congestion, sinus pressure, sneezing, runny nose and itchy eyes. Rootology makers say they offer a relatively new product, a blend of 13 powerful herbal extracts that are gaining traction within the yoga and fitness communities. Aside from cinnamon twig (for unblocking phlegm in the chest and Magnolia Flower, for 0pening nasal passages and relieving headaches,  many of the 13 extracts are new to me, such as ledebouriella root, for itchy nose and eyes. They come in capsules. When you can breathe again, get moving.

* Whish has added an ULTA exclusive Blue Agave variety and they’ve done a great job with Three Whishes Sugar Scrub, featuring raspberry seed and organic bamboo powder. Well, that’s new. There’s more good stuff in the brown sugar mix you can’t wait to rub in. A body oil with olive leaf extract and jojoba seed oil feels so good on skin that had a tad too much sun. The bottle pumps out soothing moisture. Ever tried Whish Shave Savour Hair Inhibiting Gel? Less Fuzz, Smoother Skin is what they promise. It’s designed for that after sun or after shave and after wax hydration. Organic shea butter is one of the stars, but chapparel extract is what inhibits hair growth. What will they think of next?

darraghcastillo@icloud.com