june living magazine
DESCRIPTION
Big Spring's June Living MagazineTRANSCRIPT
Living Magazine 1
Hello summertime.The warm weather is
finally here. The roses are in bloom and the children are enjoying their summer break. I know many of us will soon be complaining about the heat. As for me, bring it on. I enjoy the hot summer days hanging out with family and friends in the backyard or picnicking in the park.
We hope you, our read-ers and advertisers, get the time to spend with your family and friends, as well. This is a good time for the children to enjoy the summer camps and events around the area. Area citizens are also planning for the Fourth of July and the celebration of our country’s indepen-dence and the freedoms we all enjoy.
Also, we need to re-member all the fathers out there on their special designated day in June.
Here at Living, we celebrate the people and events in our community with each edition. This month, we fea-ture several unique individuals. Take a look inside and read about Gregg Brooks, a great guy with deep roots in the community and how the fam-ily business became a jewelry dynasty here in the Crossroads. Joe Zigtma tells the story of Philip Ringener, a local Professional Bowling champion, and Thomas Jenkins shares with us
the musical talents of Big Spring High School’s choir director, Anna Cas-taneda O’Brien, and her journey back to Big Spring.
We hope you enjoy our Second-Year Anniversary Edition with our feature stories and special colum-nists, including Kay Smith and Bruce Schooler.
As always, we wish you peace and happiness each and every day. And as I always say, “live each day as if it was your last.”
Ron Midkiff
On the Cover:Photo by Thomas Jenkins
Anna Castaneda O’Brien, choir director for Big Spring High School, tickles the ebony and ivory in her classroom.
.
Featured StorieS
2 In Harmony
8 Psyched up to paint!
10 Like father, like son
18 So, you wanna’ be a photographer?
23 Family tradition 26 Keep the summer safe
Publisher: Ron Midkiff
Contributors: Thomas Jenkins Joe Zigtema Kay Smith Bruce Schooler John A. Moseley
Calendar
Published by Heritage Publications (2003) Inc. Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Living Magazine is published 10 times yearly and mailed individually free of charge to homes and businesses in the Big Spring, Texas, area. Editorial correspon-dence should be sent to Living, P.O. Box 1431, Big Spring TX 79720. For advertis-ing rates and other information, please call (432) 263-7331.
June 11: United Way Boot Scootin’ Bash, 8 p.m. at the Stampede
June 17-18: Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo, Big Spring Ro-deo Bowl
June 19: Big Spring Model Aircraft Assoc. Fun Fly, Buzbee Field
June 19: Big Spring State Park Stargazing Event atop Scenic Moun-tain, 8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
July 3: Pops in the Park, Coman-che Trail Park Amphitheater
July 4: Funtastic Fourth Festival, downtown Big Sring Heart of the City Park
July 9: Big Spring Film Society screening of “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” 8 p.m. at the Comanche Trail Park Amphitheater
July 16: Vocal Trash at the Coman-che Trail Park Amphitheater
Vol. 2 Edition 6Publisher’s NoteContents
By Thomas Jenkins
InHarmony
M ake no mistake about it, there’s nowhere on this planet Anna Cas-taneda O’Brien would
rather be right now than in the heart of Big Spring, and she’s not the least bit shy about that fact.
O’Brien, who is the choir director at Big Spring High School, has been working her way back to the Cross-roads area for quite some time now, a path that has led her through both Lubbock and San Antonio, but be-gan when she was just 15 years old.
“When I was in eighth grade, Miss Fishback — who just recently left the high school and I took her place — was my choir teacher,” said O’Brien. “I was pretty much going
downhill as far as hanging out with the wrong crowd goes. However, Miss Fishback showed me I could sing and had me solo in front of the whole school at Runnels, back when it was open. So that was the first time I realized I even had a talent. No one in my family sings, but it just came naturally to me.
“Going into high school, I tried out for the all-region choir and made it my freshman year. My high school choir teacher, Linda Lindell, was a huge help to me, and I ended up get-ting first chair at the all-state compe-tition as a tenor, which is mainly a male voice group. But I went in and kicked all the boys’ butts by singing Mozart’s ‘Requiem,’ and it was at
that moment that I realized this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, to be a choir teacher. I was 15 years old and my whole dream was to come back to Big Spring High School and make the program like it used to be way back in the 1970s and 1980s when Big Spring Choir was really well known.”
After high school, O’Brien attend-ed Howard College, and eventually made her way into a much larger world of music.
“I went to Howard College out of high school. I was actually the mas-cot for Howard,” said O’Brien with a laugh. “I did the music program there, then I went to Lubbock Chris-tian University and got my vocal
2 Living Magazine
Living Magazine 3
performance degree there. I went on to get my gradu-ate work in choral con-ducting at the University of Texas at San Antonio. I’m currently about nine hours shy of getting my master’s degree in choral conducting.
“I was a jazz singer in San Antonio. We had a three-piece group with a guy that played an upright bass and another that played piano, and I would sing once a week at a jazz club,” she added. “I was also a voice teacher for singers in bands in San Antonio. I actu-ally had a waiting list for the voice classes. A lot of people asked me back then why I didn’t just sing and perform and give up teach-ing, but I really feel like my calling is to teach. Per-forming isn’t my happiest place. My happiest place is
4 Living Magazine
NEW LOCATION215 W. 3rd St.
Convention & Visitors Bureau
Contact Us to list your Event on the website or Channel 17 Or to reserve the Dora Roberts Community Center(432) 263-8235
215 W. 3rd St. Big Spring, TX 79720 • www.visitbigspring.comDora Roberts Community Center is located on the bank of the Comanche Trail Lake and is a perfect location for weddings and receptions
June EventsJUNE 8-11
JUNE 10
JUNE 15
JUNE17-19
JUNE 19
JUNE25,26 & 27
Kid’s Klub Summer Workshop with the Hanger 25Air Museum. Call 432-264-1999 for info.
Healthy Woman “Girls Night Out” at Serenity Spa.5:30-7 p.m. Featuring Dr. Scott Barclay.
Legends and Legacies Annual Fundraiser andFish Fry. Contact the Heritage Museum.267-8255.
Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo.Contact Skipper Driver at 432-263-8485.
Stargazing Event, Big Spring State Park at Sunset.Contact Ron Alton at 432-263-4931.(Bad weather back up date: JULY 17)
Harold Davis West Texas Shootout. Central TexasVersus West Texas Female Teams Only.Howard College Campus & Big Spring High School.Divisions: 5th grade through 12th grade.Contact Roy Green for more info @ 512-917-0946or email @ [email protected] Deadline June 11th, 2010
206717 City of BS JUNE 2010.indd 1 5/17/10 12:56:57 PM
being in front of those kids and seeing music totally change their lives. They may have a horrible home life and all kinds of bad things going on, but when they are in choir for those 50 min-utes, they really light up.”
Anyone who thinks being a music major is easy should think again, according to O’Brien.
“Music majors are the very first people they allow in medi-cal school,” she said. “It takes that much discipline to get through the music program at any school. Even if you majored in pre-med, they will overlook a pre-med person to get a music major in.
“It’s very tough. It’s lots of hours. I can remember stay-ing up until 6 a.m. doing music theory homework because I just couldn’t get it.
“My very first job out of col-lege was here in Big Spring, at the junior high. I was living
Living Magazine 5
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in San Antonio when the job came open, and I knew that working here in Big Spring had always been my dream, so I knew I needed to come. So I worked at the junior high for two years, and then I was an assis-tant at the high school, and that was the last time we got sweepstakes in Big Spring as a choir, which was during those two years.”
O’Brien said she feels like things are falling into place and giving her the opportunity to reach out to chil-dren who might not otherwise get a chance to advance beyond high school.
“It’s like everything in my life is aligning,” she said. “God completely opened the door for me to come back here, and all I had to do was walk through it. I don’t have children or a family, so this is my life. These con-tests are like the Super Bowl of our year, and being able to go in and get the scores that we did was amazing. I had to stand back and say, ‘OK, you’re here for a reason.’
“Growing up, my mother and I didn’t have a lot of money and we moved around a lot. It wasn’t a very good environment to grow up in at all. To see the kids at the junior high who were growing up the same way I did and didn’t have good family lives, I feel like I can better relate to them.
“The first two days of school all I did was tell the kids about what I did when I was there, what my dream was and how I got here,” she said with a big smile. “I tried to paint the picture for them, to explain to them how, at 15 years old, I said I would come back here and make this program better. At first they sort of fought me and just thought I was full of it, but once we got to concert com-petition they were like, ‘OK, this is for real and she’s not even playing.’
“It’s such a wonderful thing, being a part of the community again. I love Big Spring. Knowing everyone and just knowing there is family here, this is home. I know it sounds so cheesy, but I really feel like this was my destiny to come back here.”
6 Living Magazine
Living Magazine 7
Most artists must have a strong reason for de-veloping a particular image. Otherwise, we
have difficulty doing it at all. The emotional or intellectual content produces the excitement I need to create art. That excitement keeps me motivated throughout the entire process.
Let’s talk about being “psyched up” to paint a picture. By this I mean I’ve conditioned myself to record my emotional response to a given subject. For the artist, this prepara-tion is essential, knowing what to paint, how to paint it, and how to remain focused on the job at hand.
I do paint what is meaningful in my life. It could be family related, a garden, or an object from my home or something seen on a recent trip. This is how some artists begin se-ries, too, by repeating their topics shown in a myriad of ways.
Several months ago, after teaching a workshop on pears, I wanted to continue with the theme, so I taught a different class on a pears variation in another town. And I’m still not done exploring the fruit and how many ways it can be portrayed.
Working in solitude is the artist’s
Psyched up to paint!
8 Living Magazine By Kay Smith
Living Magazine 9
daily existence with only a radio, a cat’s meow, or a passing car for sounds. I have to place myself in a serious, quiet mood. As I’m getting psyched up, I have to feel emotion as I am working in order for it to come through the painting to the viewer.
In addition to interior and exte-rior scenes, I love the still life genre. Many of mine are now available on redbubble.com for postcards, cards, prints or posters.
Many of you have asked what supplies I use and recommend. I prefer using Saunders Waterford watercolor paper, manufactured at St. Cuthbert’s Mill in Somerset, Eng-land, where I’ll visit next month. My favorite paints are Da Vinci, Dan-iel Smith and American Journey by Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff. I am fairly sys-tematic in my choice of supplies, as it takes a long time to get to know materials and their characteristics. Brushes are mostly sable, although new synthetics perform very well, so I use both. I’m not much of a scrub-ber, so they last for many years.
I don’t shy away from large scale works either, or from using what-ever medium works best for the
subject matter at hand. Only one painting at a time is my usual habit, as the energy requirement is so in-tense per each piece.
Still life setups are photographed in sunlight around either 10 a.m. or 2 p.m., using various camera angles. I can then work from the set up or use combinations of the images, ar-ranging them in a compositionally correct manner. Learning from ob-servation is vital to any painter, and is preferable to using a projector to trace drawings or photos.
Although a lot of us work from our photos, we do change many colors
as our paintings progress. I’ve been influenced by the Impressionists’ use of primary colors and will, for example, paint purple trees or pink cats. My recent watercolors, in con-trast to the traditional sketch format of bright washes on a white ground, aim for the physical scale and depth of oil paintings.
So you can say I am psyched up to paint!
Visit Kay’s studio at 2106 Scurry, www.kaysmithbrushworks.us and http://kaysmithbrushworks.blog-spot.com or call 263-ARTT
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10 Living Magazine
Like father,like son
By Joe Zigtema
Living Magazine 11
201 West Marcy, 432-263-3363
Dad Needs a Dayoff, too.
Walmart has a wide selectionof great fathers day gift.
MYERS & SMITHFUNERAL HOME & CHAPEL
Bill & Charlsa Myers - Owners
Funeral Services, Memorial ServicesBurial In Any Cemetery
Cremation Services.
24th & Johnson 267-8288
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T he highlight of Philip Ringener’s bowling career is forever immortalized on the pages of YouTube.
There he is, a younger version of Big Spring’s best bowler, with wavy light brown hair and the fire of a competitor, firing away in the finals of the 1996 PBA Bud Light Cham-pionship on Long Island, N.Y., the scene of his first professional vic-tory.
The camera cuts to a blond-head-ed 5-year-old, Ringener’s son Jar-ed, who looks on as each fist pump grows in intensity with the next strike.
Ringener wins the tournament, his first as a professional in 17 years on the tour. He embraces his wife and the boy, at the top of the bowling world for a Sunday afternoon.
Unfortunately, that was the only time Ringener could celebrate a PBA win as his career ended in Colorado City Lake a year later, the victim of a jet ski accident.
Today, Ringener’s attention turns
to the blond-headed boy, who’s now a senior at Coahoma High School and is fast becoming a bowling sen-sation himself.
Philip Ringener’s bowling career started right here in Big Spring, at age 7 in the junior bowling league. R i n g e n e r ’ s parents owned the Big Spring Bowl-a-Rama, the same one that’s there to-day, purchased from original owner and for-mer Pittsburgh Steelers quar-terback Bobby Layne.
So Ringener grew up at the bowl-ing alley and honed his game, and before he knew it his parents were sending him across the country to PBA tournaments at the age of 20.
But Ringener wasn’t qualifying for the tournaments. With a new wife at home, he was tanking on purpose so he could come back to Big Spring. Until after Ringener missed a tour-
nament in Rodchester, N.Y., and a ticket to Texas wasn’t waiting for him.
“You’re not coming home,” his parents told him. “Fly to the next tournament and prac-tice. You’d better learn to bowl if you’re going to do this.”
The message was re-ceived. Ringener fin-ished 13th at that Chi-cago tournament and he went on to bowl a few more years, quitting to stay closer to home.
Ringener returned to bowling in 1986 and bowled full-time until his injury in 1997.
But even that didn’t slow down his recreational bowling habits.
“(The injury) happened in June, and I was bowling in September from the foul line on a crutch,” he recalled from the recliner in his apartment.
Though his career was cut short, Ringener says he doesn’t miss being a pro bowler.
“I don’t know if I don’t miss it be-cause I can’t do it, and I’ve learned to live with it, but no,” he said. “You
12 Living Magazine
Bowl-a-Rama Let the good timesroll with family and friends, or join a league!
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have to have the desire, and when I did it I loved it, but I don’t have the desire (now).”
Jared Ringener often accompanied his dad while he was on tour, making friends with well-known bowlers like Walter Ray Wil-liams and Parker Bohn III, his favorite.
“(Bohn) would take Jared to game rooms and go play, and in-stead of sitting and watching me, he’d sit with Parker and watch him,” Philip said.
The young Ringen-er doesn’t remember much about the time, he says, but that it was a lot of traveling, and a lot of fun.
He’s no bowling slouch himself.
It started in his dad’s traveling trailer with
small plastic pins, helped by Williams’ wife, Paige.
“He’d get his 10 little pins out and throw that ball, and he’d yell, ‘Pins up, Paige!’” Philip said. “And he’d do it all day.”
Jared’s first perfect game came at the age of 12, when most kids were using the bumper lanes. After nine straight strikes, with an audience watching, Ringener left the lane to get his father, J.M., who was at the other end of the bowling alley.
“I came to watch and he went calm-ly and threw three straight strikes, just as good as you can throw them,” Philip said.
Jared continues to bowl in the junior league at the Bowl-a-Rama during his senior year, eventually hoping to go to West Texas A&M on a bowling scholarship after a year at Howard College.
And, who knows? Maybe Jared will follow in his dad’s footsteps. It’s just a strike away.
Big Spring
110 West Marcy432-263-1284
June 2010
NEW A MUST SEE!! Beautifully updated 4 bedroom, 3 1/2 bath with 2 living areas, gorgeous hardwood floors & 12’ ceilings, great kitchen, wonderful master suite, formal dining, fireplace. Basement, guest house, workshop, cov. patio, 2 car garage, landscaped corner lot.
NEW GORGEOUS Highland South home with many wonderful features and updates. Total electric, 2,215 living sq. ft., 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 dining areas, beautiful decor throughout, charming patio/courtyard, sprinkler system, 2 car garage.
NEW LOVELY UPDATED TOWNHOUSE with ceramic tile throughout, central vacuum cleaner, total electric, WB fireplace, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 car garage. Easy living with no lawn maintenance, beautiful Village at the Spring location.
EXCEPTIONAL RESIDENCE! Wonderful location, beautiful view and landscaping, lots of updating. 2,536 living sq. ft., 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, WB fireplace, pretty tile and carpet, inground pool & pool house, cov. patio, sprinkler sys., workshop, 2 car carport.
INCREDIBLE SPACE! Large home featuring 5 bedrooms, 3 full baths, 2 half baths, 2 living areas, gameroom, sunroom, WB fireplace, 4,635 living sq. ft. Inground pool, pool house with 1 1/2 baths, covered patio, 2 car garage.
MANY RECENT UPDATES! Attractive 3 bedroom, 2 bath with 2 central heat/air units, WB fireplace, 2,392 living sq. ft., sprinkler sys., workshop, 2 car garage with heat/air and 1 car carport. Private backyard with inground pool and sauna.
ONE OF A KIND home and location. 3 bedroom, 2 bath nestled on 3.389 acres, lots of trees and Redwood accents. Total electric, WB fireplace, 2,072 sq. ft., covered patio, workshop, 2 car carport.
OUTSTANDING Highland South home featuring 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, den, gameroom, office/study, formal dining, FP, 3,665 living sq. ft. Nice open floor plan, newer top of the line appliances. New windows, sprinkler sys., 2 car garage.
IMMACULATE and SPACIOUS Four bedroom, 2 bath with 2 dining areas, WB fireplace, study/office, 2,444 sq. ft., total electric. Nice landscaping, covered patio, sprinkler system, 2 car garage. Close to elementary school and college.
www.home-realtors.net 432.263.1284 1.800.295.8938
COVER PAGE JUNE 2010.indd 1 5/12/10 9:40:04 AM
Living Magazine 13
l
SPACIOUS FIVE BEDROOM in nice neighborhood. Formal living room, gameroom, garden/sunroom, FP, 2 dining areas, 3 full baths, covered patio, outside spa/hot tub, 3 car garage, nicely landscaped corner lot.
DESIRED LOCATION and nicely priced at $159,000. 4 bedroom,2 bath Coronado Hills home featuring nice family room with WB fireplace and vaulted ceiling, 2 car attached garage, cov. patio, workshop, carport, greenhouse.
NEW NICE COUNTRY HOME in Coahoma ISD. 3 bedroom, 2 bath on 5.56 acres, central heat/ref. air, covered patio, wood deck, workshop, storage shed, barn/stable, 2 car carport. New updates including roof.
NEW CHARMING BRICK HOME - 3 bedroom, 1 bath with 2 living areas, central heat/ref. air, 2 dining areas, nice 14X14 storage, wood fence. Owner providing One Year Warranty.
ATTRACTIVE HOME with great curb appeal, Edwards Heights location.2 bedroom, 2 bath brick with pretty hardwood floors, finished loft, central heat/ref. air, fenced yard, 2 car garage, 1 car carport. $82,500.
NEW SPOTLESS 3 bedroom,2 bath brick in College Park addition. Central heat/ref. air, gas log fireplace, kitchen has breakfast area, utility/pantry, washer/dryer stay, covered patio, 1 car garage. $70’s.
NICE AND AFFORDABLE 3 bedroom, 2 bath brick with central heat/ref air, garden/sunroom, tile fence and single car garage. College Park area, priced at $69,500.
www.home-realtors.net 432.263.1284 1.800.295.8938
NEW BEAUTIFUL PARKHILL ADDITION - Unique 3 bedroom, 3 bath featuring 2 living areas, study/office, large garden/sunroom, WB fireplace, tile fence, storage shed and 2 car carport. Home was built with solid brick walls inside and out.
NEW BEAUTIFULLY REMODELED and updated in 2008. Pretty kitchen cabinets, tile and carpet, refinished hardwood floors. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, separate formal dining, WB fireplace, large master bedroom, masonry fence, 2 car carport.
VERY WELL KEPT 4 bedroom, 1 bath with separate formal dining, central heat/cooling and carpet 3 yrs. old,2 storage buildings, 2 car carport, no paint siding on eaves. $64,950.
PRICED TO SELL! 3 bedroom, 1 bath brick on corner lot in N. Parkhill. Central heat replaced in 2008, central air replaced in 2009, laminate floors, breakfast bar, covered patio, 1 car carport. $60’s.
PRICE REDUCED on this spacious 3 bedroom, 2 bath with study/office, separate formal dining, pretty kitchen cabinets, range, refrig., washer & dryer, tile fence, cov. patio, 3 carport, 1,939 sq. ft. $60’s.
HOME PAGE TWO JUNE 2010 .indd 1 5/12/10 9:48:11 AM
14 Living Magazine
COAHOMA ISD - 3 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath mobile home with sunroom, central heat/ref. air, covered patio, storage shed, carport. Nice landscaping and fencing. 1.25 acre. $50’s.
NICE BUY!! - Price reduced to $55,500 on this attractive 3 bed-room, 1 bath with no paint metal siding and 1 car garage. At full price, seller will install central heat/ref. air or pay buyer’s allowable closing cost.
VERY AFFORDABLE 3 bedroom, 2 bath with central heat/ref. air, fireplace, Pergo flooring, front yard sprinkler system, 2 car carport. $50’s.
SPACIOUS older home with 1,982 sq. ft., 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 living areas, central heat/ref. air, formal dining, WB fireplace, 2 car carport. $29,900.
GREAT CURB APPEAL - Attractive 2 bedroom, 2 bath brick with 2 living areas, central heat/air, 1 car garage, storm windows, nice siding on eaves & trim. Storage shed, large workshop. $45,900.
NEW STARTER HOME or good rental property. 3 bedroom, 1 bath on corner lot, metal fence, storage shed. $34,000.
INVESTMENT PROPERTY to be sold “as is”. 3 bedroom, 1 bath, corner lot with fenced back yard. $15,000.
CLEAN AND COZY 3 bedroom, 1 bath with fresh paint, new tile in kitchen, bath, and utility room. Central electric heat, fenced yard, cov. patio and storage building. $40’s.
www.home-realtors.net 432.263.1284 1.800.295.8938
SPACIOUS 4 BEDROOM, 2 bath priced at $62,000. Central gas heat, bonus room, separate formal dining, 1,945 living sq. ft., 2 car carport.
All of the properties advertised in this magazine were actively for sale at the time of publication. If the property has sold, or been withdrawn from the market, this is not an offering of that property for sale, and is only a representation of the properties that Home Realtors lists and sells.
Specializing in Residential, Commercial, Farm and Ranch, HUD or VA acquired properties.
HOME PAGE THREE JUNE 2010 .indd 1 5/12/10 9:41:13 AM
Living Magazine 15
The source of square footage quoted on all properties listed in this magazine is Howard County Appraisal District.
COMMERCIAL LOTS AND ACREAGE916 Lamesa Hwy. - 6 lots, great commercial site.
Thorpe/Wasson - Commercial lots-frontage, $80,000.
S. Service Rd & FM 700 - Good building site, 1.08 acre.
500 E. FM 700 - 1.8 acre, corner lot.
1208 E. 4th - 50 x 140 on corner lot, $12,000.
1210 E. 4th - Corner lot, $12,000.
1900 Wasson - 150 x 150 corner lot, $20,000.
1901 Wasson - 150 x 150 corner lot, $20,000.
1210 E. 5th - Corner lot, $6,000.
1611 E. 4th - Corner lot, $65,000.
1201 Scurry - Good retail location, $50,000.
1202 Scurry - Nice retail lots, $15,000.
1605 Scurry - 0.177 ac., 3 sides fenced.
500 Gregg - 100’ frontage, 140’ deep, $195,000.
1207 Utah - 2 lots, $17,000.
421 E. 3rd - 2 lots, $10,000.
407 W. 3rd - 150 x 150 commercial lot, $19,500.
300 Aylesford - 0.298 acre, $15,000.
W. 4th St. - 2.009 ac. (4 res. lots included) $29,000.
RESIDENTIAL ACREAGECampestre Estates - 5ac. tracts - $15,000. (29 tracts available).1908 Thorpe, 3.16 acres, $29,000.Richie Rd. - 10 acres, $29,500.Baylor Blvd. - 6.74 acres, $37,900.
Stanton - 7.10 acres, beautiful building site, $35,000.
RESIDENTIAL LOTSParkland Estates - Thorpe / Wasson, $35,000 each.
Forsan - Warren St., nice building lot, $4,500.
Parkway Rd. - 58 lots, great building opportunity, $150,000.
Coronado Hills - 6 residential lots. $49,000.
Baylor - 7 lots (2 lots could be commercial).Scott Drive - $18,000.
712 Craigmont - $17,000.
720 Craigmont - $17,500.
3802 Dixon - $8,000.
3800 Dixon - $8,000.
3802 Parkway - $4,000.
3800 Parkway - $4,000.
601 Bucknell - $5,000.
4000 Vicky - $8,000.
2513 E. 25th - $10,000.
1308 E. 6th - $8,000.
702 Caprock - $34,000.
3204 Fenn Ave. - $6,500.
702 Colgate - $6,500.
706 Colgate - $6,500.
2406 E. 24th - $9,000.
2408 E. 24th - $9,000.
The Home Team
ExperiencedDedicated Professionals
who will giveyou the superior
service you deserve.(432) 263-1284
Kay MooreCRS, GRI - Broker/Owner
432.263.8893432.770.5281 mobile
Linda Barnes432.268.1588
432.270.0062 mobile
Clovie Shannon432.263.2108
432.935.2135 mobile
Linda Leonard432.263.7500
432.897.0318 mobile
Joe Hughes432.263.1284
432.270.7877 mobile
Charles Smith432.263.1713
432.466.1613 mobile
Keele Barnes432.213.5261 mobile
Kris Honeycutt432.935.9740 mobile
Shirley Burgess432.263.8729
432.935.2088 mobile
Doris Huibregtse432.263.6525
432.270.8920 mobile
Leslie Elrod432.517.0038 mobile
FARM AND RANCHMidway Rd. - 106.07 acres pasture land, can be divided into 10 acre tracts. Paved road on 2 sides.
LOTS AND ACREAGE
HOME REALTORS PAGE FOUR JUNE 2010.indd 1 5/12/10 9:42:07 AM
16 Living Magazine
.
4000 W. HWY. 80 - Apartment complex with 14 apartments plus RV Park and 6 storage spaces. Will sell Apartments separate from RV Park.
307 W. 4th - Three lots with concrete building, the two houses on property will be moved.
1102 Hwy. 176 - Mobile Home Park on 9.72 acs. There are 7 spaces - each with septic and electric meter. $60’s.
502 E. FM 700 - For sale or lease, 11,242 sq. ft., fenced, 2.52 acres.
600 MAIN - Office Building with 8 offices, 2 baths, 2 reception areas, storage building, 3,900 sq. ft.
1409 LANCASTER - Large office building - 6 offices, 2 bathrooms, kitchen breakroom with extra open spaces, 4,875 sq. ft.
1011 W. 4th - Approx. 7,356 sq. ft, showroom, shop with overhead door, fenced yard.
611 GREGG - For sale or lease, centralheat/ref. air, basement, storage shed.
308 SCURRY - Could be used for offices or retail, nice downtown location, central heat/ref. air, 3,164 sq. ft.
1600 WASSON - Nice commercial building,2,200 sq. ft., 3 large rooms, 2 bathrooms, 0.596 acre fenced with chain link fence.
1501 W. 4th - Good location with small office,garage with overhead door and wash bay.
101 AIRBASE RD. - Auto repair business with all mechanical equipment included. Also 1 bdrm, 1 bath residential living quarters.
3000 W. HWY. 80 - Currently D’s One Stop. Drive thru window, double gas pumps. High traffic area.
409 W. 4TH - Commercial property with 1,261 sq. ft., has many possibilities. Lot size 70X75.
303 YOUNG - 4,632 sq. ft, office space, 5 bays with overhead doors. Has long term renter that would like to stay if possible.
309 BENTON - Nice building, 6,308 sq. ft, good parking. For sale or lease, rent for $1200 month.
806 W. I-20 - 5,632 Sq. ft., 1.05 acs. Four 5-ton units, 2 septics, adjoining 3.57 acs. that can be purchased.
3009 W. HWY. 80 - Commercial building with 900 sq. ft., additional building with 490 sq. ft.
3300 W. HWY. 80 - Commercial building with 1,290 sq. ft. Could be used for various businesses.
200 W. BROADWAY - COAHOMA - Inactive service station, owner says tanks are good.Possible owner finance.
Commercial Properties
900 AYLESFORD - Triplex Apartment, One 3 bedroom, 1 bath apt. and two 1 bedroom, 1 bath apts. $69,000.
HOME REALTORS COMMERCIAL PROP JUNE PAGE FIVE.indd 1 5/12/10 9:42:42 AM
Living Magazine 17
Last month we talked about selecting a professional photographer. There are many things to consider.
Just because someone has a new DSLR does not make them a pro-fessional. So, what does it take to become a professional photogra-pher? You obviously need decent equipment. In past articles I have shared some information about selecting your gear. I’m not going into specifics in this article, but you need to buy the best you can afford. You need the best tools if you are going to sell your work.
One of the most important in-vestments you can make in your journey to make a living taking pictures is education. There are many ways to obtain the educa-tion you need to improve your im-ages so that you would be proud to sell them to a client. One way is to attend a college or university and get a degree in photography. If you are just graduating from
high school and your passion is photography, this path may be for you. Check out your favorite uni-versity and see what they have to offer.
Another option is to take a course from an online photography school. This is where you need to be very careful. If you do a search for photography schools on-line, you will come up with more than three million hits. Needless to say, you have to do your research to ensure the school you select is reputable and will provide you with the skills you need to be suc-cessful. You must also be a self-starter to take an online course. If you can discipline yourself and work on your course daily, this may be the option for you. Pro-crastinators need not apply.
The option I took was the school of hard knocks. I picked up a cam-era while I was in the Navy and have continued to take pictures. That was more than 40 years ago
and my passion for photography is still strong. I started taking im-ages professionally more than 25 years ago. This route took a little longer but I feel the education that I received was excellent. Early on in my education I read everything I could get my hands on that had
18 Living Magazine
By Bruce Schooler
So, you wanna’ bea photographer?
Living Magazine 19Chamber Of Commerce
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anything to do with photography. I subscribed to photography mag-azines and read books written by well -known and respected pho-tographers. We didn’t have the Internet back then. Come to think of it we didn’t even have comput-ers. Man, I am old. (Can you say 8 track?) Today you can find many Web sites that cater to beginning photographers and they provide
Remember, great photography is not just about equipment and technique, its about what’s in your heart and how you will use your God-given talent.
20 Living Magazine
United Way of Big Spring and Howard County
Jeanie Coor, Executive Director 432.267.5201
Support Your LocalUnited Way Agencies
American Red Cross of Southwest Texas
Buffalo Trail Council Boy Scouts of America
Casa of West Texas
Dora Roberts Rehabilitation Center
Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest
Howard County Council on on Aging Mobile Meals
Howard County Humane Society
Isaiah 58
Northside Community Center
Rape Crisis/Victim Services of Big Spring
Salvation Army
Westside Community Center
WWestside Community Day Care Center
YMCA of Big Spring
a great way to gain knowledge toward your degree. Some even have videos.
One of the best investments I
have made in my photographic career is to attend seminars and workshops. I have been attend-ing different workshops for about 10 years. By far the best is “Texas School.” I have been to this event for the last six years and every year it is better than the last. The last one I attended was in Addison during the first week of May. What an inspiration to gather with more than 1,000 photographers from all over the country. This school is put on by the Texas Professional Photographers Association, which is an affiliate of the Professional Photographers of America. Both are great organizations and I rec-ommend you becoming a member of each if you are serious about becoming a professional.
I spent five days in class learning from one of the best senior pho-tographers in the country. Larry Peters is from London, Ohio, and is not only a great photographer but a great teacher. It was a week filled with lighting, posing, mar-keting and sales techniques, along
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Living Magazine 21
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with a huge dose of inspiration.The fellowship with the photog-
raphers in the class was great, too, and you learn from them as well. I know that my photography will get better after going to “Texas School.” I don’t have a letter jacket from Hard Knocks U, although I did get a T-shirt. What I did get is the experience and motivation to take professional quality images.
If you want more information about the Texas Professional Photography Association or PPA, please give me a call or e-mail. My phone number is 432-466-4250 and the e-mail address is [email protected]. Remem-ber, great photography is not just about equipment and technique, its about what’s in your heart and how you will use your God-given talent.
22 Living Magazine
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Living Magazine 23
L ike many Big Spring busi-nessmen, Greg Brooks is car-rying on a family tradition. He’s the third generation of
his family to run the business. In the process of doing so, however, he finds himself in somewhat rare company — the owner of one of the few remaining jewelry stores in the community.
Brooks, who began working for Blum’s Jewelers while he was still in school, went to work full-time there after he graduated from Texas Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in public administration in 1979.
“The first job I had here really came before I joined the business, because my grandfather put me to work engrav-ing and making gift boxes,” Brooks re-members.
His grandfather, Joe Blum, a Russian immigrant, opened his first jewelry
business in 1956 when he and a partner opened Lynn’s Jewelers in downtown Big Spring. Five years later, he and his wife, Pauline, bought out the partner and renamed their store Blum’s Jewel-ers.
His maternal grandparents operated the business downtown, and it was still located there when his parents, Ralph and Lynette Brooks, took over the op-eration in 1972 after his father retired from the U.S. Air Force. The business moved to the Highland Mall in 1986 and then moved to Big Spring Mall in 1993.
Greg admits the jewelry business in Big Spring is considerably different today than it was in the 1970s.
“Lots has changed in quite a few busi-nesses over the years, but that’s defi-nitely been the case for our store and the business in general,” he noted. “As
a matter of fact, back when we were located downtown, we were in compe-tition with 10 other jewelry stores.
“We did a lot more business back in those days,” he added. “Of course, Big Spring had a considerably larger popu-lation back then and there was lots of oil money going through the commu-nity.”
And at one time, Blum’s Jewelers employed a staff of 10. Today, howev-er, the business is staffed by only two — Brooks and long-time employee Betty Gamboa, who actually predates her boss, having gone to work for Blum’s in 1971.
While he’s clearly proud of his busi-ness and his family’s history, there’s a great deal more to Greg Brooks than being a jeweler. Like many local busi-nessmen, he supports and contributes to virtually every community event
A familytradition
By John A. Moseley
24 Living Magazine
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from the United Way and Relay For Life to after prom events and area high school sports teams.
But his involvement to his commu-nity has gone far from making dona-tions to worthy causes. He’s a past board president and has served on the Westside Community Day Care Cen-ter’s board of directors for more than 20 years. He’s also still serving on the City of Big Spring Parks and Recre-ation Commission, where he served as chairman, and has more than 20 years of service.
The same can be said of his member-ship in the Big Spring Rotary Club, where he has also served as club presi-dent.
He’s a past president of the Big Spring Symphony Association and has served two terms on the board of the Big Spring Area Chamber of Com-merce and is a past member of the Dora Roberts Rehabilitation Center board.
He also coached youth soccer and basketball teams for 10 years.
What’s more, he’s organized 28 disc golf tournaments in Big Spring during the past 19 years and continues to do so.
In fact, it could be argued that he may well be the biggest proponent of the sport in the Big Spring community. That’s because he not only is still orga-nizing local tournaments.
He began playing disc golf in 1984 and still competes in the sport on the local, regional, state and national lev-el.
Brooks and his wife Lisa, the local representative for U.S. Congressman Randy Neugebauer, have two sons who have both been active in disc golf. The oldest, David, is currently working on his master’s degree at the Univer-sity of North Texas in Denton, while the younger son, Chris — a three time word champion in disc golf, attends the University of Texas at Austin.
In 2011, Blum’s Jewelers will cel-ebrate its 50th anniversary, something Brooks says he’s looking forward to, almost as much as looking forward to his sons completing college.
“I’m really looking forward to next year,” he admitted. “We’re about a year away from our 50th anniversary and there have been a lot of changes in our business over the years.”
The biggest change in the jewelry
business is not in the types or qual-ity of merchandise Blum’s offers, but in the types of things made possible by technology. Jewelers are now able to do many things today that were impossible when Brooks took gem-ology and jewelry making courses in Los Angeles in the early 1980s.
While the principles of jewelry making are essentially the same, tools like micro-laser welders make it possible to repair many items that couldn’t have been repaired before.
What’s more, tools like the micro-laser welder allow jewelers to make repairs to things like turquoise and sterling silver jewelry much simpler.
“Working on turquoise jewelry used to be very difficult, because you had to take the stones out of the setting or else the heat would break them,” Greg explained. “And you had to be awfully careful not to over-heat the silver because it had a pretty low melting point.
“Now I can work on construct-ing new jewelry pieces or do repair work and never even have to put on a glove,” he continued. “You can di-rect a highly-focused beam of light where you need it and nothing gets overheated. You used to have to hold whatever you were working on clamped in place, you’d be holding whatever you were trying to add to the piece with one hand and operating a torch with the other. It always seemed like you needed three hands.
“It gives you a lot of flexibility that you didn’t used to have,” he added. “As a result, sometimes you can be more innovative and creative with the things you design and work on.”
What’s more, Brooks said the new micro-laser allows him to work on a number of items he’d never have worked with before.
“That welder allows me to do things other than jewelry,” he said, while pull-ing out a pair of eyeglasses with wire frames and a broken temple. “Now I can do things like this. That’s some-thing you just didn’t used to do. If you broke a pair of wire frames, you were just out of luck and having to buy new frames. Now, they can be fixed in just a little while.”
Living Magazine 25
As tempera-tures con-tinue to climb and
summer gets into full swing, children in the Crossroads area have traded their school books for video game consoles
and soccer balls, enjoying the beginning of their summer vaca-tion.
The welcome break from school and classes offers many area families a chance to trav-el abroad and go on vacation, while many local children will
be spending their holiday right here in West Texas, among the homes, streets and businesses of the area.
And while those flashing lights in the school zones won’t be warning motorists of children headed to school or home, it’s this time of year when the dan-ger to our community’s young residents is the greatest. Errant footballs thrown into roadways, children racing down the street to catch up to an ice cream truck and other situations could easily spell disaster if motorists aren’t at their sharpest and most obser-vant.
The summer vacation also means more pedestrian traffic on Crossroads streets, especially near parks, residential areas and other spots where children might be going or walking through. With the prospect of summer vacation so fresh in their minds, many children’s thoughts will be on something other than safety.
One of the simplest things we, as motorists, can do to help re-duce the risk of a tragic accident during the summer months is staying off our cell phones while we’re behind the wheel.
Of course, there will always be times when we need to use our cell phones while we’re on the road. However, I’m willing to bet better than 75 percent of conver-sations taking place during driv-ing are the run-of-the-mill, mind-less, “Hey, what are you up to?” type of parlays.
For the most part, driving is a rather boring chore, especially when you’d rather be home bask-ing in the glory of a high-pow-ered air conditioner. And, much like the radio, our cell phones have become a way to escape those doldrums by chatting with
26 Living Magazine
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Living Magazine 27
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friends and families. However, whether you’re using a hands-free device or not, your attention is now divided between driving, operating the phone and the conversation you’re having.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what a bad idea that is when you’re driving, especial-ly among the residential streets and busied thoroughfares of the Crossroads.
Even worse than talking on the phone, is the ever-popular text messages that have quickly be-come a staple of our electronic lives. Dividing not just your at-tention, but your vision between the screen of your phone and the road is, without a doubt, a recipe for disaster.
There is a growing movement in Texas — and the nation — to restrict cell phone use when driv-ing. The state legislature recently passed a bill that made it ille-gal to use cell phones in school zones, and some cities and states have moved to enforce similar laws on all their roadways.
And, with Crossroads youth spread out all over the area dur-ing summer vacation, you might think of everywhere as a school zone.
This isn’t anything you haven’t heard a thousand times before. Slow down, keep your eyes and attention on the road and look out for our young citizens. Put away your cell phones and PDAs — basically anything that’s going to divide your attention — while you’re behind the wheel.
It only takes a split second for disaster to strike, and while the idea of putting your cell phone away may seem like a major in-convenience, the thought of fac-ing a family when you’ve taken away one of their children should be heart wrenching enough to make up your mind for good.
Have a safe and happy sum-mer holiday, and watch out for the children.
28 Living Magazine
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Our Courtyard is perfect for the afternoon luncheon, wine tasting, or birth-day party. The Courtyard + Party Room at 119 Main St. Comes with a kitchen area, his and her restrooms and about 2000 Square Feet of space.
The Hardware Store The Hardware Store is perfect the yearly office Christmas party, New Years Eve bash, Graduation Party, or maybe just the family reunion. The Hardware Store at 117 Main St. comes with a full wet bar, his and her restrooms, and about 7000 Square Feet of space including the mezzanine.
Both The Courtyard & Party Room + The Hardware Store Renting both Renting both The Courtyard & Party Room + The Hardware Store is excel-lent for weddings, large reunions, office parties, and so much more. Offering up over 9000 Square Feet of space, a wet bar, a full kitchen, outdoor sitting area, and 4 restrooms, you cant go wrong.
Living Magazine 29
Snoring Problem Coming Between
You?
One out of four people is a chronic snorer. Loud snoring interrupted by long periods of completely obstructed breathing can signify sleep apnea — a significant health threat. So if you are a habitual snorer or have high blood pressure, memory problems, daytime sleepiness or insomnia, you may have sleep apnea.
Talk to your physician about scheduling a Sleep Study, or for more information visit smmccares.com/sleep today.
Ask your doctor about a Sleep Study.
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