Haak Vineyard & Winery

Some people go to France or Italy to see grapes sparkling in the warm morning dew, waiting for the sun to kiss them with sweetness and goodness. Some folks travel to the valleys of California to mingle with the people who grow the nectar of the gods. Some people make the trek to the Texas Hill Country to view the beauty of grapes on rolling hills nurtured by sparkling spring fed waters and sip the sweet juice of Texas heaven. But you can find all that goodness and sweet nectar of home grown grapes right in our backyard in the small town of Santa Fe, Texas just south of Houston.

Here, Raymond Haak, a former chemical engineer, has been crafting great wines at his Italian inspired winery for the past 14 years. Check out the hospitality room and store. Suzanne and I really enjoy browsing the store area and exploring all they have to offer. Taste the many and varied wines they produce to find your favorite. You can also find lots of wine accessories and wines you can purchase for Christmas or holiday gifts. If nothing else, give a gift to yourself to celebrate the holidays!

The star of the Haak vineyard are the delightfully delicious Blanc du Bois grapes. One can see the grapes growing during the late spring to early summer months. If you are interested in getting cuttings to grow your own grapes, they usually have a “trimming day” in late January or early February where you can learn about taking care of grapes and help trim the vines. They will explain how to take the cuttings and plant in your backyard to start your own mini-vineyard!

After a laborious wine tasting, Suzanne and I finally agreed on which wine we wanted to purchase. With our Christmas gifts in hand, we thanked them for an informative and delightful experience and headed out to see more of Texas Thru My Back Door!

Join in our fight against breast cancer.  Visit Suzanne's new blog "My Equations for Life" as she reflects on life B.C. (before cancer) and A.D. (after diagnosis) and help support new early cancer detection research at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center with our Go Fund Me project below.

Nolan Ryan Museum – Alvin, Texas

With the start of Professional Baseball’s World Series, I thought we would write a baseball story. Lucky for us, we have a true legend of the game living here in Texas! Nolan Ryan has had a great impact in the game of baseball and is an ambassador of the Texas way of life. Easy-going, countrified, and hard-working are attributes of Nolan that I admire.

I had the privilege to be sitting at a table next to Nolan Ryan at Joe’s Bar-B-Q in Alvin one day a long time ago. While I had the urge to ask for his autograph, I told my daughter we should not bother him in front of his friends. “If we were famous,” I told her, “I would like us to have our privacy while eating out, too.”  While we ate our food, I kept an eye on him. He was gracious to everyone and no one at the restaurant bothered him by begging for an autograph.  How satisfying that must have been for him in his hometown of Alvin.

Today, Suzanne and I finally got around to visiting his museum on the campus of Alvin Community College. I was expecting very little as museums go, but when we entered this museum we were truly impressed. From his humble life as a child in Alvin, to his high school exploits on the baseball diamond, there was plenty to learn about Nolan in the early years. Nolan married his high school sweetheart, Ruth Holdorff. His professional baseball career is chronicled by many displays and videos. From mementos of his New York Mets days, to the California Angels, to the Houston Astros, and finally the Texas Rangers, we found a large number of memorable items to see. We saw old gloves, bats and balls, team uniforms, trophies, and champion rings.  Just about anyone should be able to find something of interest to view and little known facts to discover about Nolan.

The Ryan Express, as he is often called, threw a record seven no-hitters in his 27 year career. His career strikeouts are also tops at 5,714! Suzanne and I enjoyed learning about Nolan’s illustrious baseball career as well as his successful life as a cattleman and businessman. So if you have a hankering for a little baseball nostalgia, stop by this museum for a delightful afternoon, while you see Texas Thru My Back Door!

Join in our fight against breast cancer.  Visit Suzanne's new blog "My Equations for Life" as she reflects on life B.C. (before cancer) and A.D. (after diagnosis) and help support new early cancer detection research at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center with our Go Fund Me project below.

Leona General Store Steakhouse

This past Friday, Suzanne and I headed north to Leona, Texas. Suzanne had a craving for a good steak and we had heard about the Leona General Store Steakhouse and their great steaks. Leona is just south of Centerville on Highway 75, not far from Interstate 45, between Houston and Dallas. If you blink your eyes, you might miss it.  But if you are traveling through the area around 5:30 pm, when they open on Thursday, Friday or Saturday night, you could find yourself in a traffic jam, as people come out of the woodwork for their tasty meals.

The restaurant was originally a General Store built back in 1921. The décor is Country Rustic with a friendly staff to serve you. The nice thing about the restaurant is the simple menu. Four choices of meat: 10oz. Ribeye Steak, Smoked Pork Loin, Grilled Catfish and Boneless Chicken Breast. Sides are the same for all: salad, mash potatoes and dinner rolls. Most people come for the Ribeye Steak served on Friday and Saturday nights only. Thursday is All-You-Can-Eat Fried Catfish.

Suzanne got her wish and enjoyed a nicely cooked Ribeye Steak. Just to be different, I chose the grilled catfish. Both dishes were excellent. I was surprised by the two large slabs of catfish fillets. It was quite filling, but it didn’t stop me from trying one of their signature desserts: the hot chocolate brownie with cold vanilla ice cream. Yum! Yum! I reluctantly agreed with Suzanne to split it, even though both of us were full.

If you are traveling through the middle of Texas, you might want to stop by the Leona General Store Steakhouse for a sample of these great Texas dishes. Who knows, you might even rub elbows with dignitaries like George W. Bush, who has come by a few times, or someone like Suzanne and I who just enjoy good food, good friends, and good times as we travel Texas Thru My Back Door!

Alvin, Texas

Suzanne and I travel all over Texas and sometimes forget about visiting our local neighbors. So we decided to visit a town next door to where I grew up in Pearland. Alvin is an unassuming little town that goes about its business quietly. It is best known for her favorite son, Nolan Ryan. With baseball playoffs beginning, we had planned on visiting the Nolan Ryan Museum, but as fate would have it, we struck out. It was closed on the Friday afternoon we chose to visit. What a bummer.

Like in baseball, one strike out didn’t deter us. We rounded second and slid over to the Alvin Historical Museum to check out the history of Alvin. Located in the old Post Office off W. Sealy Street, the museum attendant met us at the door, eager to please our passion for history. She directed us to Tom Stansel, who gave us a wonderful tour and explanation of the exhibits. At the entrance to the museum stands a beautifully carved statue of Alvin Morgan, the founder and namesake. Items ranging from prehistoric fossils to Karawanka Indians and from Republic of Texas memorabilia to the various American wars filled the halls of the museum. At the end of our tour, Suzanne got to view a temporary exhibit of beautiful quilts by Jewell Richardson.

Re-energized, we headed over to the Marguerite Rogers House Museum on East Dumble Street. The John G. Slover built Victorian house is unique in its Oriental influenced architecture and extensive gingerbread trim. Most of the lumber used was scavenged from other homes following a hurricane. Mr. Slover was a carpenter by trade and the workmanship shows his attention to detail. Decorated in period pieces from the 1930’s, this house represents a slice of life in early Alvin.

Though we didn’t get to visit the Nolan Ryan Museum, the other museums provided much insight into the early days of Alvin. From ranching, dairy farms, orchards and farming to commerce and railways, Alvin keeps chugging on as we see Texas Thru My Back Door!

Southern Star – Texas Craft Beer Success Story

Here in Texas, we love our beer! Today there is a craft beer boom in the state and like a true Texan, I want to try them all. Suzanne and I decided to ride up to Conroe just a hop, skip and jump from Houston and check out the Southern Star Brewing Company. Southern Star began brewing beer in 2008 and is the first in Texas to sell their craft brews in cans.

We heard that on Friday evenings the brewery sets up a small market with unique items for sale, so a Friday date night was in order. When we arrived at the warehouse location, Suzanne and I were pleasantly surprised at the number of cars in the parking lot and we had to park fairly far away. From a distance, we could hear the live music that quickened our steps to the brewery.

The brewery is divided in two sections. One is the actual brewery and the other is the storage area where the hospitality room and market are located. Since we have seen many other small batch breweries, we decided to skip the brewery tour and headed straight to the hospitality room. There in the back of the warehouse was our prize, their cold beer offerings. Along the way, flanked on either side were vendors set up selling a variety of items. Working our way through this maze of vendors was quite a challenge, but I was successful in my endeavor and we eventually made it up to the bar.

Their beers were reasonably priced and we didn’t need any wooden tokens or arm bands to purchase their products. The bartenders were friendly and helpful as we made our selections. Pine Belt Pale Ale, Buried Hatchet Stout, Bombshell Blonde Ale, Red Cockaded Ale and Valkyrie are a few of the varieties available. Suzanne and I tried different brews so we could taste a greater variety of different beers.

After sampling a couple of different ales, it was time to check out the vendor’s wares. We strolled through the building looking at a unique blend of items including produce, buffalo meat, jewelry, olive oil, soaps and candles, all while drinking beer and listening to live music. What a pleasant shopping experience! I left the shopping to Suzanne and Suzanne left the beer drinking to me. We were both happy. Suzanne purchased some wonderfully scented candles and I prodded her to buy some ground buffalo meat for making hamburgers.

As our star-lit Friday night excursion ended, we were both pleased with the outcome. We had sampled some great beer, bought some superb items and had a wonderful time listening to live music. It doesn’t get any better that this. Can’t wait to see what our next outing offers us as we see Texas Thru My Back Door!