St. Paul's Methodist Church was built in the early part of this century.  Is one of the most visited landmarks in the beautiful area surrounding Hermann Park. 

The Church is still very active; in fact, my son and his wife were married there.  I learned some of the history from the Minister who performed their service.  They have one of the largest pipe organs in the country and the largest in Texas. It takes a team several months just to clean the pipes and keep it in working order.  When they play "Here comes the Bride" or the Wedding March, it is very impressive and almost deafening.  It is the most beautiful organ I have ever seen or heard. 

The upstairs groom's quarters is very classy with a sitting area, table and chairs and is perfect for the Groom and his party.  The bridal suite is downstairs in the basement and is lovely with private baths, lighted mirror and vanity and everything the bride needs.  They really have special touches of elegance everywhere. 

St Paul's Methodist Church was conceived in 1903 as an act of gratitude as an offering from Ellen Ross after her son recovered from a serious illness.  She contributed two lots on the corner of Milam & McGowen.  This location opened in 1909. This was known then as the "South side of Houston".  The architecture was Grecian with a dome in Byzantine style. 

After so much growth, expansion was not feasible, so the property was sold and the new location at 5501 Main, the present location, was purchased from the Hermann estate.  This graceful stone building  with a beautiful bell tower was built in the English stone gothic style.  The Architect chosen was Jesse Jones' protege' Alfred c. Finn, who would gain fame as the designer of the San Jacinto Monument, the Gulf Building, the Cullen Building at the University of Houston, and the Coliseum and Music Hall. 

In 1980, Organist/Choirmaster Robert Brewer joined Frances Anderson to lead St Paul's Choir, now an acclaimed 75 voice ensemble that has often sung at Westminster Abbey.  In 1981, David Farnsworth donated a 76 rank Schantz pipe organ.

In June of 2001, Tropical Storm Allison took Houston by surprise and caused extreme damage to the building.  You certainly can not tell it was damaged today by looking at this beautiful landmark either inside or out. 

You can see this beautiful landmark at the following address:
5501 Main Street
Houston, TX 77004

Feel free to call me for all your Northwest Houston TX Real Estate needs. 

The NW Houston 1960 Parade was Sunday and I went to watch and took some photos.  Northwest Houston has a very festive parade with music, many floats of every kind where they throw beads to the croud along with candy, St Patrick's Day hats and other St Patrick's Day trinkets. 

Here are some of the floats and people in the parade.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

There were many floats like the beautiful one on the left and on the right is from Crazy Frogs Saloon.

The above Float is shaped like a Pirate Ship and the one on the right is from Miller Light.

Left above is a military St. Patrick's Day float and on the right above is the Parrot Head Club float.

A little beagle dog getting into the spirit of St. Patrick's Day and on the right above is a float with live music.

Above left is a nice float and the people are giving out beads.  On the right are Hawaiian dancers in the parade.

 Above left is the Tumbleweeds float and little dog is "green" for the occasion.

Feel free to call me for all your Northwest Houston TX Real Estate needs. 

Party Animals is a new dog friendly social mixer series at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center.  They are hosting The Mutt Strutt on April 5th from 3-5 pm at Memorial Park.  (Weather permitting)

Dogs on leashes and their owners are invited to come out and enjoy music, refreshments (poochie punch) and receive a doggie bag with a treat for their furry friend.  Lawn chairs and blankets allowed.

The April host will be Sunshine, a friendly boxer who will be there to greet everybody.

Spring doggie Fashion Show at the Mutt Strutt with prizes for best dressed dog so come out for a dog gone good time!  Limited space available, so please RSVP.

RSVP at 713-681-8433.

Saturday: April 5 from 3-5pm
Saturday: May 3 from 3-5 pm - Hounds & Hula
Admission: $10 for non members, $8 for members

Feel free to call me for all your Northwest Houston TX Real Estate needs. 

The Houston Rockets has had 21 wins in a row!  They have won 30 of the last 33 games, jumping from the number 10 spot to tie for 1st in just two months. 

Today they play the LA Lakers in L.A. and I hope this winning streak continues for the Houston Rockets. 

The last several games have been without Yao Ming, as he has an injury.  I wish him a quick recovery.  Ming is a great role model for Houston and said he feels unlucky, but this will give him time to rest up and get prepared for the Olympics where he will again play for his home country of China. 

It seems that when one of the Rockets gets injured, another player steps up to the plate!  McGrady (T-Mac) is showing what he can really do!  It is his time to shine and shinning he is!  The Rockets went 20-12 without Yao Ming!  This team is ready to win and is capable to of taking on any MBA team! 

General Manager Daryl Morey has done a great job of building this team and having a solid roster! 

The Houston Rockets vs. LA Lakers will be televised today and I hope we can add to our 21 game winning streak!

 Feel free to call me for all your Northwest Houston TX Real Estate needs. 

Houston Tx St Patrick's Day Parades

It has been said that Houston Tx has one of the lowest Irish populations in the country living here, but there is no shortage in the amount of Irish Pubs.  So even though we may not have a vast amount of Irish citizens, the amount of adopted Irish is huge.  There are two parades going on in Houston.

St Patrick's Day 30th Anniversary "1960" Parade:

The 1960 St. Patrick's Day Parade is Sunday, March 16th, 2008 at 2pm. The parade benefits Cypress Creek EMS Public Education Programs like car seat inspections, bike rodeos and ambulance tours for children. The parade has raised more than $100,000 over just the last 5 years. Entries must be received by March 10, 2008.

The 1960 parade begins at 2pm and proceeds down FM 1960 from Champion Forest Drive to Kuykendahl.  Last year, over 100 entries and at least 75,000 spectators attended the parade.  This is free to the public and is one of Northwest Houston's largest community events.  The Parade Grand Marshall is going to be Coach Domicic Kinnear, the Houston Dynamo's Head Coach.

Downtown Houston 49th Annual St Patrick's Day Parade:

The Houston Downtown St Patrick's Day Parade begins on Saturday, March 15th at 12 noon.  This is a free event is a 2 hr. event and is one of the largest in the U.S. and plans to have 127 entries for all the Irish and Irish at heart!  The parade starts and ends at Minutemaid Park at the intersection of Texas & Hamilton in downtown Houston.

The first St. Patrick's Day parade in Houston dates back to the 1880's and was always on St. Patrick's Day.  It started in "Irish Town" by old St. Patrick's Church on Harrisburg.  The parade continued until the depression and WWI & WWII when the parade disappeared.  However, in the late 1940's, Houston Oilman, Glen McCarthy built the Shamrock Hotel and the Irish culture associated this with good times again.  In 1960, two radio personalities announced a St. Patrick's Day Parade in downtown Houston and has always carried the theme "Everyone is Irish-If only for the Day".  It has been going strong ever since! 

All of Houston will be going Green for St Patrick's Day!

Feel free to call me for all your Northwest Houston TX Real Estate needs. 

Recently I started getting the prettiest birds in my birdfeeder and was so excited about this.  Soon, they told all their friends and I had so many pretty birds that they were lining up and some were waiting in the tree outside my window and the bougainvillea right next to my kitchen window for their turn to eat.  I had so many birds I am now filling the bird feeder up every other day! 

I told my friend Shellee up the street about my gloriously happy little birds and that I could not find out what special breed they are!  I had searched the internet and looked at most of the unique birds and didn't see my happy birds.  She listened to me explain about my new family of birds and said she had a bird on her feeder right now.  I asked her to take a photo and email it to me, which she quickly did and sure enough, it was the same as my little visitors.  My unique new friends are sparrows. We had a good laugh and I found out the birds I have are not unique, but they are awfully sweet and happy little guys.  I have also seen a couple cardinals come visit.

 The Houston Arboretum & Nature Center is a good place to find out what kind of birds you do have!  Be sure to take your binoculars with you so you can take in all their beauty.

Right now they are having a nature walk to see all the different kinds of birds in our area this time of year. 

Schedule:

6:45-8am

Tues: Mar 11,18,25               

Thurs: Mar 13, 20, 27

Sat: Mar 8, 15, 22

Price: Free for members & $5.00 for non members, coffee included!

Houston Arboretum & Nature Center

Feel free to call me for all your Northwest Houston TX Real Estate needs. 

Photo courtesy of Shellee Ashmore

If you are a sports fan, you are going to love living in the Houston Texas area!  We have basketball, baseball, football, soccer & hockey, so there is something for everyone!

The city of Houston has had professional teams playing since the late 1800s.  The very first championship banner was raised to the roof in 1889 by the Houston MudCats baseball team.  On August 13, 1897, due to the Spanish-American war, Houston did not have a professional baseball team for a couple of years.  In total, Houston teams have brought home 46 championships to the Bayou city. 

Houston is the proud home to the Houston Astros baseball team,  Houston Rockets Basketball, the Houston Texans Football, the Houston Aeros Hockey, The Houston Dynamo's Soccer, and Houston Comets Women's basketball. 

Houston has some of the finest stadiums in the country as well.  We have Reliant Stadium, it is right next to the Astrodome, which was the pride of Houston for many years.  The Reliant Stadium is air conditioned with a retractable roof.  It is home to the Houston Texans along with the Rodeo, Monster Jam and other events requiring a stadium of that size. 

The Astros play at Minutemaid Park downtown.  This is a fabulous stadium with a retractable roof as well and is air conditioned.  Houston is the most air conditioned city in the world, so nearly every place in Houston is air conditioned. 

Toyota Center is home to the Houston Rockets.  This too is a fairly new stadium and presently is also the home to the Houston Aeros.  The Houston Comets plays at Toyota Center as well. 

The Houston Dynamo Soccer team came to Houston in 2006.  They were the back to back champions in 2006 & 2007.   They play at Roberts Stadium presently. There are plans to build a brand new soccer stadium downtown. 

Feel free to call me for all your Northwest Houston TX Real Estate needs. 

I want to share this Campaign to Thank our Veterans.  This is a crussade to show appreciation for all our soldiers and veterans.  They give so much for us, we can give back in this small way.  This sign means "Thank you from the bottom or my heart."  Sometimes we just do not know what to say, so this is a way to say, Thank you from the bottom or my heart, believe me,  they do appreciate it. 

To make the sign, simply place your hand to your heart as if you are saying the Pledge of Allegiance.  Pull your hand down and out, bending at the elbow and ending at the waist, palm up and angled toward the person you are thanking. 

This sign of thanks originated in France in the 1700s.  The original sign, starting at the heart is less common today, as the sign mostly used today starts at the chin. 

To learn more about sign language, visit www.aslta.org

Feel free to call me for all your Northwest Houston TX Real Estate needs. 

Old Town Spring is hosting an Art & Wine Festival Saturday and Sunday, March 8-9.   Several Texas wineries are offering tastes of some of their favorite and finest wines.  Talented Artists will be showing off their talents with their original art which will be for sale. 

While you are there for the Art & Wine Festival take time and enjoy all that Old Town Spring has to offer.  This turn of the century railroad town offers over 150 shops, restaurants, museums, art galleries, antiques, collectables, hand crafted items and many more unique and unusual items.  Wear you walking shoes as there is so much to see and do.

Old Town Spring is located on 2920 East from I-45 North. 

Saturday, March 8 - 11am - 5pm
Sunday, March 9 -  12pm- 4pm
Price for Wine tasting is $15 in advance and $20 at the event. 

Feel free to call me for all your Northwest Houston TX Real Estate needs. 

The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo annual event will be held March 3rd - 22nd, 2008.  Houston is home to the world's largest and richest rodeo. During February and  March Houston is known as the cowboy capital of the world.  It is nothing to be driving around any area of the greater Houston area and see the trail riders who have come from miles away, heading to Memorial Park where they camp out and ride in the Parade.  This is a Rodeo and Livestock show like no other! 

This is no ordinary Rodeo!  For more than 75 years this event has been the heartbeat of the southwest.  It takes over 19,000 volunteers who annually volunteer their time and talent for this livestock exhibition and premier entertainment event.  Young children and teens work all year raising livestock which they hope will take a prize and possibly a scholarship.  In the fall of 2007, there were 2022 students enrolled at 88 Texas colleges and universities from direct Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Scholarships.  These young men and women can attend any Texas college as long as you are working toward a bachelors degree.

Not only does the Rodeo have a tremendous impact on education and the youth of Texas, it also has an economic impact on the Houston area where more than 400,000 hotel nights are booked and more than 1.8 million meals are served to visitors and exhibitors to the show every year.

This years Entertainment lineup is as great as years past!

2008 Rodeo Houston Concert Schedule:

Monday, March 3 - Tim McGraw
Tuesday, March 4 - Faith Hill
Wednesday, March 5 - Kevin Fowler
Thursday, March 6 - Alan Jackson
Friday, March 7 -  John Legend
Saturday, March 8 - Martina McBride
Sunday, March 9 - Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus
Monday, March 10 - Sugarland
Tuesday, March 11 - Rascal Flatts
Wednesday, March 12 - John Fogerty
Thursday, March 13 - Toby Keith
Friday, March 14 - Clay Walker
Saturday, March 15 - Brad Paisley
Sunday, March 16 - Duelo / Los Horoscopos de Durango
Monday, March 17 -  Miranda Lambert
Tuesday, March 18 - Big & Rich
Wednesday, March 19 - Fergie
Thursday, March 20 - Dierks Bentley
Friday, March 21 - Pat Green
Saturday, March 22 - Brooks & Dunn

Feel free to call me for all your Northwest Houston TX Real Estate needs.