Our 3 Minutes of Fame - The Long Version

Dave: "I know that there are two clear camps on this, but I love Monty Python."

Hood County News
Folks Around Town
June 27, 2026

My career defies easy summary, which is probably intentional. I spent many years as an architect — designing, building, and occasionally explaining to clients why THAT wall must be load-bearing. Retirement, when it finally arrived, turned out to be more of a suggestion than a destination.

Round one of retirement was a web design and photography studio, which ran happily for eight years before round two kicked in. That's when I took on the role of President of Downtown Mansfield, Inc., overseeing the renovation and operations of the historic Farr Best Theater, and working to revitalize downtown in ways that honored its character rather than bulldozed it. I also served two terms on the city's Planning and Zoning Commission — years of the kind of behind-the-scenes civic work that doesn't make headlines but absolutely makes a difference.

For over a decade in Mansfield, Suzie and I initiated or were deeply involved in citizen-driven organizations promoting and facilitating art, music, renovation, restoration, and small business support. It was meaningful, community-building work — the kind that leaves a place genuinely better than you found it.

Round three of retirement is, fingers crossed, the real one: devoted to music, photography, road trips, cruises, and the particular joy of having nowhere to be on a Monday morning.

My interests are wide-ranging and delivered with enthusiasm, which I acknowledge can be a hazard in social situations. History (especially military), physics, astronomy, science fiction, city planning, current technology — any of these can derail a dinner conversation without much warning. And then there's Monty Python. I consider the matter settled.

Music isn't really a hobby so much as a way of life. I own and play several guitars and I'm eager to resurrect something I built back in Mansfield: a monthly guitar circle — the kind of casual, come-as-you-are gathering where the music matters more than the performance. If you play, consider yourself forewarned and potentially invited.

After watching years of Mansfield community work gradually get absorbed into city infrastructure (as good grassroots efforts often do), Suzie and I were ready for a fresh chapter. We wanted a small town with live music and theater on just about any given night, a real sense of community, and room to breathe. After several visits for shows at the Granbury Opera House and Granbury Live!, the decision made itself. Suzie found us the perfect home — generous space for arts, music, and gardens, close enough to downtown to almost hit it with a well-aimed rock. And bonus — a reunion with dear friends Gary and Mary Ellen Vinson.

Suzie: "I have blue eyes and brown hair; the rest is subject to change without notice."

I arrived in this world as an Ohioan — Go Bucks, and O-H…I-O — and have spent the last decade steadily learning how to be a Texan. I retired several years back from being an Executive Assistant to the owners of a multi-million dollar company, which is a polished way of saying I was the person who actually knew where everything was, what needed to happen next, and who needed to be called. Some skills are just transferable. Dave would confirm this.

Those same skills have found a natural second career in travel logistics. I'm the designated architect of every road trip, cruise, and adventure we undertake — handling reservations, itineraries, packing lists, tickets, passports, and whatever else stands between a good plan and a great trip. Dave shows up. I make sure there's somewhere to show up to.

I will also, given the slightest encouragement, make you the most amazing banana pudding you've ever encountered. This isn't a boast. It's a statement of fact.

I'm also, by my own unapologetic admission, a BBQ snob. My position is straightforward and non-negotiable: if your barbecue requires sauce to be edible, it's not good barbecue. Proper BBQ stands entirely on its own — the right cut of meat, the right rub, the right cooking — and needs no rescue operation from a bottle.

My first impressions of my new hometown have been unambiguously positive. Every time I drive through downtown or along the lake, I need to pinch myself that we're actually here. People smile more readily, hold doors without being asked, say thank you (sincerely) and perhaps most remarkably, drive like they have somewhere to be rather than something to prove. For a transplant from the Metroplex… that's not a small thing.

Games, Cards & Other Necessary Distractions

We share a healthy appreciation for games: board games, cards, dominoes, and the occasional video game rabbit hole. Our sons gifted us a Nintendo Switch during the Covid lockdown, which turned out to be either very good timing or very bad timing, depending on how you feel about losing entire afternoons to a fantasy open world.

It was particularly well-timed for me during my hip replacement surgery — both hips, same day. "They had a BOGO going," as I like to say. Zelda kept me sane during the six-month wait (thanks Covid), which is either a testament to the game or a commentary on the healthcare system at the time. Possibly both.

On the more traditional side, we enjoy board and card games — mostly the ones we grew up with, which by the way are better, and everyone knows it. Being a proud Midwesterner, I know Euchre the way Texans know Texas Hold'em — fluently and with strong opinions. Mexican Train dominoes, however, remains a work in progress.

Family

Our youngest son lives in Boston with his partner and works in life sciences. Together they've explored Canada, England, Iceland, and Thailand—and his job regularly whisks him away to equally unforgettable destinations like Cleveland, Atlanta, and Houston. He swears the frequent flyer miles spend the same no matter where you go, which is his diplomatic way of saying some trips are more exotic than others.

We're a proud military family. Our eldest son and his wife are currently serving overseas, and we're grateful for technology that keeps us connected—even if figuring out what time it is where they are requires a calculator and strong coffee.

Sheldon, our sixteen-year-old cat, made the move to Granbury with us and immediately established himself as the property's true owner—a position he held with considerable authority. He passed in early June, which hit harder than expected, partly because we loved him fiercely, and partly because he never did finish his lengthy list of everything we were doing wrong. He was a very good cat, and we miss him every day.

The Gardens

Since we live right along the trolley route, I decided the front yard ought to be more interesting than a sea of grass. Over the past several months I've been converting it into a collection of no-till, water-wise gardens filled with drought-tolerant Texas natives — with more than a little help from H-E-B, which turns out to be an underrated plant supplier in addition to everything else it does well.

The goal is straightforward, at least in theory: create a landscape beautiful enough for bees and butterflies and stubborn enough to survive a Texas August. There are currently eight separate garden beds in the front yard — the largest measuring fifteen by twenty-three feet — and I've stopped calling it landscaping. What it actually is, I think, is a tiny ecosystem in progress. Dave, raised on a ranch, says it's dangerously close to farming.

Most mornings I'm out there checking on things, pulling the occasional weed, and quietly wondering whether the bees and butterflies approve of my design choices. I say "occasional weed" loosely — I'm currently engaged in a full-scale ground war with nut sedge. It. Is. Winning.

The Arts & Crafts Studio

When I'm not outside coaxing plants into growing in spite of themselves and the Texas weather, I'm usually knee-deep in whatever creative rabbit hole currently has my attention. My interests run from the traditional — embroidery, loom knitting — to the slightly harder to explain at parties. I build miniature rooms. I make custom Dungeons & Dragons props. I rescue neglected furniture and give it a second life that is, by design, delightfully quirky. I also work in beveled glass, resin art, papercrafts, and hand-built pottery. Regarding my hand-built pottery, I'm searching for someone local willing to rent out kiln space for cone 04 bisque and glaze firings. If you know of one, please don't keep it to yourself.

I subscribe firmly to the philosophy that life is too short for a single creative outlet. Some people collect things, I collect hobbies. I'm very thankful that Dave indulges and supports me no matter what project I'm taking on.