From the Editor | July 2017

Dear Readers,

My dad loved road trips. When I was a child and he had a couple of days off from work, he’d pack up the family into the car and point it in a direction heading for an unknown destination.

We never traveled too far from our home on the south side of Chicago. Usually a three- to six-hour drive was enough for our family of five. We often headed north to the Wisconsin Dells area, but one year, he took us southwest to St. Louis where we toured the city, rode to the top of the St. Louis Arch and visited a world-renowned brewery founded in 1852.

I don’t remember very much of the beer side of that tour, but I never forgot the giant Clydesdale horses or riding the wooden escalator, a new invention and predecessor to the metal and steel escalators we see today. I remember watching as the wooden steps flattened out at the bottom to create a movable ramp before recycling back to the top.

That was my only trip to a brewery until I visited Barrow Brewing Co. in Salado. Graydon and KD Hill have mastered the art of craft beer. Their brewery, just a little more than a year old, has become a community gathering spot. This family-friendly venue hosts events, lectures and even yoga classes, page 41.

For folks who like the fermented grape, Blends Wine Bar in Belton offers wine, art and music. Owned by Kat Kaliski, a songstress in her own right, the bar has a vintage feeling with its continuous jazz standards playing over the loudspeaker, then switching to contemporary tunes with some of the current jazz performers of today, page 12.

Food trucks have become a popular form of dining out. Trendy among millennials, they have gained momentum to embrace diners of all ages. The food is fresh, made by hand with a lot of TLC. Read about the Fireside Pizza Truck in Temple and Hecho en Queso in Salado, two of the dozens of food trucks seen around Bell County, page 33.

Kim Bates-Wallace, owner of Over the Plate food truck, takes her gourmet meals on the road and caters at private parties, special events, and occasions, page 24.

A leisurely breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, but often only enjoyed on the weekends. “Breakfast in Texas: Recipes for Elegant Brunches, Down Home Classics and Local Favorites,” by Terry Thompson-Anderson, with photos by Sandy Wilson, gives at-home breakfast and brunch lovers some new ideas for the morning meal, page 23.

History and science buffs who need to get their geek on can visit the Baylor Mayborn Museum Complex in Waco where prehistory, science and the not-so-distant-past all come together to create a visual time machine. Walk through the cretaceous period, see what life was like on the Texas plains during the early years of settlement, and learn about science at the discovery center. Don’t forget to pack a lunch, page 58.