I was at Goodwill this week, and for some unknown reason I found the original edition of A Field Guide to American Houses in the Self- Help section. I was shocked for several reasons, not the least of which the fact that one of the basic reference books from grad school was staring right back at me.
I don't know where my original copy went. It might have been lost in a move. This one was only $2.99. That's probably because there's a newer 2015 edition out now. The new edition currently goes...
Good news, everyone! Curios is closer now to rolling out a smooth way to order print editions of my books directly from my website. It's June of 2026 now, and soon you'll be able to order my books in print OR get an ebook / print bundle from me.
I'm so excited about this opportunity because it allows me to offer a wider range of things for readers, and at price points that I believe in. Right now I'm hemmed in by restrictions on online retailer like Amazon and Barnes and Noble for how much I...
It's frustrating and overwhelming to tackle that mess in your office, but no one has to go it alone.
Thank TSLAC for compiling a guide. There's a packet for elected officials, and one for non- elected officials. "The elected guys" as we used to refer to them, get their own packets because we all know that sometimes elections get acrimonious and the person you're replacing sometimes leaves a mess for you to inherit on your first day. That's exactly what I planned for Judge Patti Williams when...
The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC or Tea Slack) has you covered.
TSLAC is a great staring place for researching county records, but it's hardly the only place to search. Texas Fils has an online database of land records across the state. They also have probate records, searchable by each of the 254 counties.
Despite Texas' notorious anti- federal leanings, it's worth it to check out the Library of Congress's resources for vital statistic and genealogical records that are...
Believe it or not, there are some pre made retention schedules that county officials in Texas can use in order to comply with records retention laws. No one has to start completely from scratch.
About 99% of the records held by any local entity in the state are covered by the state records schedules. TSLAC tried to make it as easy as possible. And in most case, it really is that simple.
Yes, I know it's not Halloween yet. We fly in August.
I kept digging at the Texas Parks and Wildlife You Tube channel, and I found this short video on the Bracken Cave Bat Colony, which is the largest bat colony in the world. I mentioned last week that you can make reservations with Bat Conservation International (BCI), the organization that owns the land where the cave is located. If you become a member of BCI (and I've done that), you can even get a discount on your reservation.
In Sarah's case, she more or less knew what she was getting into. As the fourth woman in her family to run for and earn the position of County Clerk of Verde County, she had an idea of what a county records manager (Records Management Officer, or RMO).
She doesn't have to do all of it alone, despite the weight of the Montgomery legacy. As with all (real) counties in Texas, there are countless emplyoees who go about carrying out the work of...
The largest colony of Mexican free- tailed bats in Texas is located at Bracken Cave, in Central Texas. The Bat Conservation International owns the cave. As stewards of the cave and its colony, BCI is responsible for ensuring that development doesn't encroach on the natural landscape of the cave.
The pups will roost sepreate from the females, and the males roost in small groups in a different locale. Are the males absent fathers, then? Strictly speaking, I'd say yes. They don't take any role in...
Y'all are killing me, here! KILLING MEE!!! I was hoping to find several videos of bat colonies on the Texas Parks and Wildlife You Tube channel. Alas, there weren't as many as I'd hoped.
Still, I found a great video taken at the Houston Zoo. Houston never faiils to come in for me when it matters. Enjoy this look at a colony, and remember- you can see bats in the wild at the Waugh Avenue Bat Colony.
Wondering what Tea Slack is all about? One of the original state agencies in Texas covers public library services, records managment, archival services and services for the vision impaired.
That's a quick introduction to what TSLAC (or Tea Slack) does for the state of Texas. Let the staff tell you more. Get to know the resources and help available here:
Part II:
Reservations are recommended, but it's a great place to wander in and take a look.
Because not all bats want to live in Central Texas. Some of them prefer the Gulf. And many bats love being in the center of the city. Take the Waugh Bridge bat colony for example. The bats live in the crevices of the bridge year round, and the best time to see them is in the Summer.
Given how temperate it is in Houston, you can really see them emerge year round, so don't feel bad if you're in town for an "off" season. In fact, while the colony on Waugh is the largest, there are smaller...
Mostly write tickets.I kid! I kid! In addition to doing their darndest to keep Texas' natural resources safe and flourishing, they also serve as peace officers within the state of Texas. Taking Flight takes a look at the wildlife protection and law enforcement aspects of a warden's job, but in reality, the game wardens fulfill several roles.
I'd love to say it's because we have so many people in Harris County, but the truth is we loved the older one so much that we decided to keep it. Even when we built a new one.
Every time I walk to the starting line at the Houston Marathon, the older courthouse comes into view. I wave and yell out "Hey, Girl!" to it. The other runners think I'm waving to a spectator, but that beauty is my home girl. She's historic and pretty.
And everybody says we just knock down old stuff in Houston...
As Olivia works to celebrate the Mexican community in Verde County, the Texas Historical Commision (THC) has compiled a list of resources for exploring Hispanic heritage across Texas. The collection includes videos, an interactive map (for an unforgettable road trip) and lesson plans.
The details in the Verde County Courthouse may be fictional, but THC has a video on Hispanic architecture in Texas. Staying in the actual Hill Country, the agency's compiled a list of little known Hispanic sites...
I wanted to place a Rosenwald school in Madison, since Texas was one of the states that received funding from Julius Rosenwald to build schools for African- American communities in rural areas of the state. The Texas Historical Commission has resources for finding (and listing) schools in Texas, and other state...
Andrew Kim may be a figment of my own imagination, but Preservation Architects do exist. Listen along as an architect describes his path towards a career in prserving and restoring the past.
How do you become a preservation architect? Without calling in the sponsered ads, I'll give you a quick tour of programs available here in Texas:
The University of Houston offers a Masters of Science in Architecture with a concentration in Historic Preservation. Actually, I didn't know that until today...
Some counties in Texas use their renovations to help adjust with the times. When I started sketching out what Verde County and Madison would look like, I wanted to portray a small town with potential, not one that time and progress had sped by. Still, when money gets passed out, the facilities are sometimes the last things to receive much needed attention.
Some courthouses in smaller, more rural counties had no hot water. Others were decades behind when it came to technology. It's hard to...
Taken from the Texas Association of Counties (TAC) podcast.
My County Commissioners are a mixed bag of local Texans. Commissioner Santos is the most vocal of the Verde County Commissioners. In real life things aren't always that acrimonious. I do love using poetic license, and at least you don't have to worry if any Open Records laws were voilated.
The program is now over twenty- five years old, signed into law in 1999. Since then, a majority of the historic buildings across the state that are eligible for the grant have already applied for or received funding. I've personally sat in the room stuffed with County Judges and County Commissioners and heard their stories about the process. I can tell you from experience that the process was...
