Dear John, Please Bring My Saddle Back Home . . . To the Red Carpet Lounge

1908: First saloon in Refugio with my Great Grandfather David Kelley, operator of the Kelley Stage Company. Dan Linney; Dan Fox; Bill Doughty; Worth Droody, bartender; S.A. Droody, owner of the Mission Saloon and a traveling drummer. The Red Carpet Lounge, replaced the Mission Saloon when it closed. “DEAR JOHN, PLEASE BRING MY SADDLE BACK HOME … TO THE RED CARPET LOUNGE” By... Read More

Winning Back the Wild West

New Dubina General Store Authors Note: “Sometimes here at Texas LIVE, we have the chance to encounter people and places that make a lasting impression on us. This classic piece, “Winning Back the Wild West”  from January 2010, is about a couple living in Fayette County (Southeast of Austin) who have outfitted their Texas Ranch with small buildings and converted... Read More

The Angels Cried Today in Texas

Today it rained in Texas. The heavens broke forth and the angels cried. I stood at the end of our office driveway, huddled in the rain with coworkers as we gazed at the sea of flashing lights streaming down the street. The convoy was long, filled with big Texas trucks and city Mercedes alike. It seemed that every law enforcement vehicle in the county made its way down the dreary... Read More

Preemie Families Receive Much Needed Support

- By Ashley Diamond - Amber and Brian Collier are the parents of 2 beautiful healthy little twin girls, Eden and Priscilla, who were born premature at 33 weeks gestation. They spent 4 weeks in the NICU growing and maturing before being allowed to go home. Going through the trials of having preemie babies has inspired the Colliers to start a non-profit support network to bring hope... Read More

A Sweet Family Tradition

James and Carolyn Prihoda share the art of making sugarcane molasses with their family. - By Natalie Lacy Lange - Not long after sunrise, the temperature and humidity are already climbing. The hot August sun beats down on Schulenburg while the Prihoda family begins their long day of transforming a load of sugarcane into pure molasses. The kids, hardly realizing that this is hard... Read More

Texas Trading Post: The Largest Online Texas-Only Giftshop

- By Ashley Diamond - Russ and Linda Harvell of Texas Trading Post never thought when they retired that they would end up running the largest online store for “All Things Texas.” “We thought it would be fun to sell some stuff on eBay in the evenings,” Linda says, “and then we ended up with a spare bedroom full of inventory, then 5 storage units, and now we have moved... Read More

Celebrating Fathers: $100 Amazon Giveaway

We want to honor fathers in the upcoming June issue. Share your favorite memories and/or photos of your father for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate to Amazon.com. To enter, share your favorite memory in the comment section of this blog post, or email your memory or photo to natalie.livemagazine@gmail.com. Deadline: Friday, April 29, 2011  Read More

Explore Galveston

Here’s a behind the scenes look at many of Galveston’s finest places to visit. Where to stay? Things to see and do on the seawall and beach. Where to Eat? Where to Shop? Upcoming Activities & Events Tours & Attractions  Read More

Young Business: Shaping Texas’s Future Despite Challenges

:: By Ashley Diamond :: It is no secret that graduating college students face a difficult road when it comes to finding a job and building a business in this economy. Therefore, it is more important than ever for young business people to acquire skills and contacts that will give them an edge in the professional world. It can be especially difficult in an area like Bryan/College... Read More

Washington-on-The-Brazos

Bill Kendall at the 175th Celebration; recognizing the descendants of the 59 signers of the Declaration of Independence. Washington, Texas – The Birthplace of Texas – The 175th anniversary of the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence was recognized during a free two-day festival, February 26-27, 2011 at Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site. This celebration... Read More