by Phil Houseal | Feb 25, 2020 | All Articles, History, Music, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
Feb 26, 2020–Sometimes an idea is so elegant, it is discovered more than once. Such is the case with the “cello podium.” This platform cum amplifier started as a rumor uncovered by Ken Freudigman when he was a cello student at Eastman School of Music back in 1985. The...
by Phil Houseal | Feb 5, 2020 | All Articles, History, Philosophy
Feb 5, 2020–We gave up conventional and cable TV 25 years ago. But for Christmas I received access to one of the streaming services, so I’ve been revisiting series from the 1980s and 90s, the last time I watched anything. One that popped up was an episode of Star...
by Phil Houseal | Jan 27, 2020 | All Articles, Education, Events, Food, History, Music, People of the Hill Country, Venue
Jan 29, 2020–Musketeer, fire breather, or wizard, it’s always fascinating what motivates a person who leads an otherwise conventional life to don the garb and persona of a character living in the middle ages. To help me understand, Cathryn Harper agreed to talk on...
by Phil Houseal | Jan 9, 2020 | All Articles, History, Music, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
Jan 8, 2020–I’m reading Willie Nelson’s autobiography. And it’s distressing me. Because everything he did in his journey to country music sainthood, I did the opposite. He was a rebel and a rounder. He would skip school. I was teacher’s pet. We both share a love of...
by Phil Houseal | Dec 12, 2019 | All Articles, Education, History, Philosophy
Dec 11, 2019–‘Tis the season for holiday programs and pageants. Every parent, grandparent, and squirmy sibling will spend at least one evening packed in a school auditorium or stuffed in an undersized classroom chair watching a parade of plays and eating potluck. That...
by Phil Houseal | Nov 20, 2019 | All Articles, Education, History, People of the Hill Country
Nov 20, 2019–For a state perceived as largely desert, Texas has an “insanely diverse” number of water habitats. That includes approximately 1,100 public impoundments covering 1.7 million acres, and 191,000 miles of rivers and streams. All of these waters are potential...
