Passport to Texas

UT School of design on TPW TV.

TPW TV: Coastal "Parkitecture" Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

A dozen UT Austin Architecture students and their professor spent a long, hot summer on Galveston Island SP.

We’re getting a Master’s in Architecture but we’re getting a Ph.D. in craft supplies. It’s been like Santa’s little workshop in here.

That’s because, as student Hugo Reynolds tells it, they spent hours at craft stores buying supplies to build various models for their project. Coleman Coker is the Director of Design Lab at the UT Austin School of Architecture.

This is a project we have to do in a very short time. Ten weeks from the first day to the last day. It will be an interesting summer for these students.

Working closely with park rangers, the students’ assignment is to design and build a new educational pavilion for the park, which also provides some of the only shade on the park’s bay side.

They’ll be camping very close to where they’re going to build. It gets them immersed in the climate they’re going to be working within. The mission of the Design Lab is to try to increase ecological literacy, particularly of the coastal environment.

Watch the process this week on the Texas Parks and Wildlife TV series on PBS. Check your local listings.

We receive support in part from RAM Trucks: Built to Serve.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Pack a picnic and head to a Texas State Park.

Picnics with Personality Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

There’s nothing like a picnic in a Texas state park; and picnics—like picnickers—have personalities.

There’s the Texas classic: a wicker basket on a red and white tablecloth spread on a picnic table. Think: buttermilk fried chicken, potato salad and creamy coleslaw heaped onto grandma’s fiesta ware.

Fiesta? Now we’re talking. Your picnic becomes the life of the party with its savory carnitas, roasted tomatillo salsa, warm tortillas, and accoutrements…as well as an ice chest filled with a variety of agua frescas…all enjoyed from the comfort of a screen shelter.

Yet, some picnics are intimate. This outdoor dining experience may include a crusty French baguette, goat cheese, thin-sliced cured meats and juicy red grapes. When enjoyed from the comfort of your truck’s tailgate, while parked near a grove of ancient oaks, your soundtrack becomes the melodic songs of cicadas.

Other picnics are basic, but still magical. A frill free picnic may involve spreading a vintage felt blanket from the thrift store along a creek bank before diving into a tin of freshly baked oatmeal raisin cookies from mom.

Whether your al fresco fun is for a family reunion, a church gathering… or just an afternoon escape with your best four-legged friend, there’s a picnic-perfect Texas state park near you.

Picnicking at state parks reminds all of us that life’s better outside. Find picnic recipes on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

Our show receives support in part from RAM Trucks: Built to serve.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife… I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Cooking fluffy biscuits in a Dutch Oven.

Food, Fellowship and Dutch Ovens Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Cleburne State Park, about 30 miles southwest of Fort Worth, has a spring-fed lake and shady trails. It also hosts a local group that’s passionate about their avocation.

We fell in love with the park and the people.

Dennis Clute is chapter advisor for the Chisolm Trail Chaparral Dutch Oven Society

We cook on the third Saturday of each month except for June, July and August; it’s just too hot. We get there about mid-morning on Saturday, we have the pots on the table by 12:30, we all gather in a big circle, we say grace, we invite everyone there to eat with us and have a good time

The Chaps say they can prepare nearly anything that can be cooked in a home oven in a Dutch oven.

I think my favorite was this rich chocolate cake that they made. It was delicious

Annie Hepp is a regional interpretive specialist with Texas Parks and Wildlife.

They really enjoy the opportunity to be with one another. They get to cook for people, they get to share their passion with others and that passion and enjoyment is pretty infectious. Just being around them and seeing what they’re cooking up really inspires you to try it yourself.

Go to the calendar section of the Texas Parks and Wildlife website and click on “cooking” to find Dutch Oven demos in parks.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

Crystal Camacho, a student docent at FLHS, leads a group from Houston through the site. Image: Fort Leaton Facebook Page.

Student Docents at Texas State Parks Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Manuela Catano is the Park Superintendent at the Fort Leaton  State Historic Site and manages a unique workforce – student  docents.

We work in conjunction with our local school district. We can hire them as young as 14 years old.

The program provides students a solid first job experience while they develop a range of marketable skills. Laura Jennings is a park ranger.

[Laura] They apply for the position, we score the application, we will interview them and for many of the docents, this will be their first interview. So that in itself is a learning experience.

[Omar] Before this I was a pretty much a shy person and it helped me open up and not be so shy when I meet new people.

[Crystal] It really pushed myself to get out of a comfort zone… to try and focus on my communication skills.

Omar Udave and Crystal Camacho are part of a team of eight student docents

[Omar] Well, a lot of questions are asking about the “carreton”, this big wagon we have back here; and I explain it to them.  

[Crystal] My favorite part of the tour is the dining room; the second owner, Edward Hall was actually shot in that room.

The student docent program is much more than a job. It’s an opportunity to learn while teaching others

It’s the best job I’ve ever had. We’re really thankful to have them

Volunteer at state parks. Find opportunities in the Volunteer section of the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

pack a picnic and head to a Texas State park for Mother’s Day.

Celebrate Mom's Day with a Picnic in a Park Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

This Mother’s Day, take mom on a picnic in a Texas state park. Cookbook author, Angela Shelf Medearis, says the key to a stress-free picnic is planning and simplicity.

So, start your picnic a few days ahead. If I was doing a picnic, I would have something like a really good roast chicken; just cut the pieces up and pack those in there.

I do a Carolina Cole Slaw; you toss it up, throw it in the refrigerator – it gets better day-by-day. So, if you want to do that ahead, you could.

Use a lot of fresh fruits for dessert.

The thing about a picnic that I love is that you can totally unplug and really focus on the people you should be paying the most attention to. You can get out in nature; we have some beautiful parks. Some beautiful places to go in Texas.

And, it gives you a chance to really focus on the most important things: your family, nature, the beauty of life… So, do a little planning ahead, and pick dishes that will be fine hot or cold, and you can’t go wrong for a great picnic.

Find recipes for your picnic on the TPW website.

Our show receives support from RAM Trucks: Built to Serve.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.