April 13th, 2011
The weather has made it time for snow cones once again and by that I mean shaved ice.
When I was a kid all we ever got was ground up chunks of ice and food coloring.
What you have here is very delicately thinly shaven sheets of ice that when fallen from the ice machine turns into soft snow. This shaven ice is like eating the fresh snow off Santa’s rooftop.
The snow balls are covered not just in food coloring but any of over about 100 different flavors to choose from.
I usually never get too experimental when it comes to snow cone flavors so I go with the traditional icecream, coconut, or the other flavor that tastes closest to sugar syrup.
My son and I went by the snow ball place at the Red Barn square shopping center. We both got icecream flavored snow cones and I could not believe how well this energy supplement boosted both me and my sons energy levels as well as increased brain function.
Tags: Brain Function, Broadway, Chunks, Coconut, Energy Levels, Energy Supplement, Flavors, Food Coloring, Fresh Snow, Icecream, shaved ice tyler tx, Shaven, Snow Ball, Snow Balls, Snow Cone, Snow Cones, Snow cones tyler tx, Soft Ice, Soft Snow, Square Shopping Center, Sugar Syrup, Weather
Posted in Restaurants | 2 Comments »
March 15th, 2011
I have visited both the Texas State Capital and the Bob Bullock, State History Museum enough times that I could just about give the tours on my own, (only admittedly in watered down form, but I know the things that are significant for my students to learn). The fourth day of the Tour of Texas was a Sunday. The weather continued to be beautiful. We walked around the outside of the building and I pointed out monuments pertaining to periods we’ve studied in the course of the school year. We also made a point to stop by the plot where Tyler Roses grow. Most States have capital gardens. My understanding is that Texas is the only state with a divided campus for its garden. The Tyler Rose Garden is considered a wing of the State Garden and thus has a small area set aside next to the capital in Austin, to grow Tyler Roses.
When we visited the capitol building that morning there was a surprising number of People. Prior to our arrival, I was concerned about whether or not the legislative chambers would be open. Fortunately I need not have worried. We walked through both the House and Senate, discussing the paintings that hang there and identifying people in the portraits. The students also explored the rotunda looking for historical figures like Sam Houston, they’d been assigned to find.
Following our visit to the Capitol, we made our way to the State History Museum, had lunch on the balcony of the museum cafeteria, and then explored the exhibits. The last educational event of the day was the short film entitled the Star of Destiny, the “4 D” feature film presented year round by the museum. The students loved the movie but I must confess to being a bit disappointed in the normally great movie. Some of the effects seemed not to be working at key points. I was apparently the only one who noticed and everyone had a great time.
It might seem silly but for me the event of the day was checking off the last box on the list of great Texas food, namely bar-b-que! That evening we ate at Austin (actually Driftwood), barbeque legend, “The Salt Lick.” The restaurant is well known and has been featured in magazines and on television shows like the Travel Channel’s Man vs. Food. Its great Texas bar-be-que, and we all had more than our fill. Particularly some of the young men in the group. The following morning I was unable to eat breakfast finding that I was still full from the previous evenings feast. I guess Fat Tuesday came a couple evenings early for me.
Tags: Balcony, Bob Bullock State History Museum, Cafeteria, Capital Gardens, Capitol Building, Destiny, Educational Event, Feature Film, Great Time, Legislative Chambers, Monuments, Rotunda, Sam Houston, School Year, Short Film, State History Museum, Texas Food, Tyler Rose Garden, tyler roses, Tyler Texas, Weather
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March 8th, 2011
Long ago the avid outdoors man was forced to resort to the likes of the local super store for most wilderness related products, but today the Tyler resident has an outdoor super store to match it’s super outdoors.
Gander Mountain will bring to you the equipment you need to achieve your wildest survival fantasy, or just your wildest camping or hiking fantasy, either way rest assured when it comes to the wild Gander Mountain has what you need. It’s classically easy to be unprepared in the wilderness, that is why Gander Mountain must be so huge, It’s takes a comprehensive outlet to accommodate the needs of survival and out door recreation.
First off Gander Mountain needs to supply you with all of the practical weather resiliant clothes for your specific environmental condition, which they have done in their fully equipped men’s, women’s and children’s clothing sections stocked with waterproof, cold proof, and heat resistant material for your climate. But weathering the elements is only part of natures challenge, as anyone who hunts or fishes will tell you.
Although fishing and hunting have come far from their fundamental beginnings there is still a prominent recreational following in today’s society. The sports of hunting and fishing have long since opened themselves up to modern technology and subsequently an entirely new and state of the art market for equipment which Gander Mountain is happy to supply.
Every hunting and fishing accessory under the sun is available, even products to train a dog to participate with you can be found, right along with wireless scouting cameras as well as entire fishing boats ready to lead man into the unforgiving and mysterious adventure of wilderness adorned in high powered LED’s and GPS tracking devices.
Land vessels are also for sale on Gander Mountain, giving you portable horsepower to aid in whatever quest you deem suitable for four wheels. If you are more sporting or exploring minded, however, the selection of kayaks and other boats could interest you. Gander Mountain has it all, tents, sleeping bags for all temperaments, purifying water bottles and coordinating computers.
Truly, it is hard to imagine any place better suited to prepare you for the requirements of raw nature.
Tags: Art Market, Clothing Sections, Environmental Condition, Fishing Accessory, Fishing Boats, Four Wheels, Gander Mountain, Gander Mountain Tyler TX, Gps Tracking Devices, Heat Resistant Material, Horsepower, Kayaks, Modern Technology, Mysterious Adventure, Natures, Related Products, Scouting Cameras, State Of The Art, Tyler TX Gander Mountain, Tyler TX Sporting Goods, Tyler TX Sporting Goods Store, Weather, Weathering, Wilderness
Posted in Sporting Goods | No Comments »
January 31st, 2011
A room of a dozen three year old children is stressful in the first place but when you put a dozen three year old children in an extremely loud and crowded restaurant and throw a giant mouse, bad pizza, and a few video games in the middle of the chaos, you get a Chuck E. Cheese birthday. I do not know what I was thinking when I had my little girl’s birthday there. I was not sure where I was going to do the party until due to Tyler unreliable January weather. When we decided to have the party indoors we called the restaurant and tried to get the package deal and reserve a table for the party. They said that they can not allow us to reserve a table so close to the party time, but they said to just come in and try to find an open table. We tried to come into the restaurant after the lunch rush but it was still really crowded. I wanted Chuck E. Cheese to come out and sing to my little girl for her birthday but they said that he will not come out and sing happy birthday unless we bought a cake. I did not want to pay a lot of money for a cake with bad icing piled on top of the cake. I thought it was pretty ridiculous that they would not go sing to a toddler.
I really recommend not having a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese if you can not reserve the package deals. If you do reserve the package deals, be prepared to have an extremely loud party that you can not hear yourself think no less have any conversation with any of your guests. The waiter and waitresses come out and sing to about six or seven kids at the same time. You might end up sharing a table with another kid’s birthday party. The chaos is too much to handle. After your kids have danced with Chuck E. Cheese and ran around the table a few times, you can let them loose through the restaurant and allow them play video games to their heart content. The video game area can be so crowded, when I bring my children there I feel like I am watching them like a hawk. The rule of Chuck E. Cheese is that you are suppose to get your hand stamped when you walk through the door, the stamp on your hand is suppose to match the stamp on the hand of all the children that came with you. Last time I went there I walked in and they did not stamp my hand and my daughter did. When I walked out they asked to see my hand and I just said that I did not get my hand stamped and he just let us out. I was glad that I was able to leave with my child but I was thinking in the bad of my mind if they would of checked stamps if my kids were walking out with someone else.
It is true that children love this restaurant. It is like a gambling hall for kids. They spend the twenty five cent token to win three tickets that are worth a penny each. At the end of the day parents spend fifty dollars on tokens so that their kids can bring home a two dollar toy. Kids do not see the fact that they are getting ripped off. They have fun playing the games and running away from their overwhelmed parents. I really do not like Chuck E. Cheese and will never again throw a birthday party there. It was days before I got rid of the pounding headache. It s fine to eat there during the week and allow your children to get their energy out, and have a fun day; but going during the busy weekends it is not really worth it.
Tags: Birthday Party, Chaos, Chuck Cheese, Chuck E Cheese, Chuck E Cheese Tyler TX, Giant Mouse, Happy Birthday, Hawk, Heart Content, Little Girl, Loud Party, Lunch Rush, Money, Open Table, Party Time, pizza, Tyler Texas, Video Game Area, Video Games, Waiter, Waitresses, Weather
Posted in Pizza, Restaurants | No Comments »
December 14th, 2010
East Texas is looking like one of the best areas to invest in commercial property. While other states and cities nationwide have seen a decline in affordable mortgages, and an increase in foreclosures, places such as Austin and Tyler, Texas and neighboring cities have continued to see a steady increase in sales.
East Texas Commercial Real Estate is attractive to many investors and families due to the beautiful weather all year round, the friendly communities, the vast array of amenities at close reach, and the lack of state income tax and low business taxes. The real estate market in East Texas has remained on a pretty even keel for prices while other cities around the country are trying to deal with losing money or buying too high.
As more people are finding their way to the warm climate of East Texas, new buildings and homes are being erected creating the opportunity for new jobs. There are also new shopping malls being built, and high end stores that are a great opportunity for an investor looking for a prime location. Due to the cost of living being so affordable, more and more people are looking to start new businesses, and purchase a home for their families. This makes it the ideal market for those house flippers as well as commercial investors. With properties not staying on the market too long, investors know they will not have to wait long to sell the property and make some money.
Tags: Amenities, Array, Commercial Investors, Commercial Real Estate, Cost Of Living, Decline, East Texas, Even Keel, Foreclosures, House Flippers, Mortgages, New Buildings, New Businesses, New Jobs, Prime Location, Shopping Malls, State Income Tax, Tyler Texas, Warm Climate, Weather
Posted in Commercial, Real Estate | No Comments »
