Treasure Chest Thursday – Edgerly Petroleum Company, 1926

Five men, covered in oil, stand on a drilling platform.  A moment frozen in time in Ged, Louisiana. Their names, as well as “3-11-Crew Vincent #10,” are written on the back of this photo taken on 5 July 1926. This photo is my entry for today’s Treasure Chest Thursday.
Edgerly Petroleum Company
With the discovery of oil [...]

Follow Friday – Louisiana Genealogy Blog

In honor of my Louisiana Cajun roots, I’d like to highlight the Louisiana Genealogy Blog for my first Follow Friday post.

The Louisiana Genealogy Blog is a great resource for those of us researching our Louisiana ancestors.
What you’ll find:

Louisiana surnames, with email addresses of people researching each surname
Links to other Louisiana genealogy blogs
Links to news stories [...]

Treasure Chest Thursday – Cyprien Duhon Land Patents

Land patents signed by Presidents Lincoln and Grant for land sold to my ancestor Cyprien Duhon! These are the family treasures for my very first Treasure Chest Thursday post. I spend a lot of research time following online links that lead nowhere, so I felt like I had won the lottery when I discovered copies [...]

True Women and Pecans in Seguin, Texas

If you are a fan of True Women, Janice Woods Windle’s 1994 bestselling novel about Texas women, war and adventure, then you know about Seguin, Texas.
If, however, you are not familiar with Seguin, you should definitely plan a visit. Located about 50 miles from Austin and 35 miles from San Antonio, it’s an easy day [...]

Hollywood Stars and Smithville, Texas

What do Hollywood stars Sandra Bullock, Harry Connick, Jr., Sean Penn, Ryan Reynolds, Brad Pitt and Jon Gries have in common? They’ve all filmed movies in Smithville, Texas—a small town of roughly 4,000 residents, located 29 miles southeast of Austin.
Smithville has plenty of sights for movie buffs. And with shopping, parks, and dining—it’s a great [...]

Help for Haiti

I’ve been watching the situation in Haiti for the past several days, wondering if there was anything I could do to help. So I did some research and donated money. There are many wonderful organizations working to get help to the Haitian people, and I encourage others to do the same. If you [...]

Bill and Lucy Courrege Benoit, New Car, 1926

This photo is of my grandparents in front of their new car. My grandfather is holding my mother, who was born in 1926, so this photo was probably taken in 1926 or 1927. They must have been going someplace special because they are all dressed up.
Willie “Bill” Benoit (1894-1985) was born in Vinton, Louisiana, to [...]

Good Food and Atmosphere at Hill’s Cafe in Austin

There’s a reason why Hill’s Cafe has been a south Austin institution since 1947 — and that reason is good food and a fun and friendly atmosphere.

Comfort Food at its Best – Dot’s Place in Pflugerville

Dot’s Place serves up heaps of comfort in Pflugerville.

Romantic Evening at Casa Colombia in Austin

Casa Colombia was a wonderful choice this year for Valentine’s Day.

Richard’s Boudin & Seafood in Sulphur, LA

How can you not love a place with appetizers named gator gallops and mudbug riders.

It’s Italian – Fresh, Friendly and Flavorful

One of the things I love about living in Austin is the abundance of really great family-owned neighborhood restaurants. Located in Wells Branch in the same spot as the original Gumbo’s, It’s Italian is one of those neighborhood jewels. The owners and their staff are friendly and a lot of care goes into creating each menu item. The food is not only delicious, the presentation of each dish is gorgeous.

County Line BBQ by Car or by Boat

No 4th of July is complete without barbecue. It was too hot to cook out this year, so the entire family went to County Line. Set in an old lake lodge on Bull Creek, you can get there by car or by boat.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom at Chuy’s

You gotta love a place that serves Chicka Chicka Boom Boom enchiladas! Chuy’s is Austin Tex-Mex to the max. I’ve eaten at four of the five Austin locations and have never been disappointed.

Mediterranean House Buffet – Pfantastic Pfood in Pflugerville

The menu says, “Fresh food made from scratch daily.” It should say, “Incredibly delicious fresh food made from scratch daily.” I truly love discovering family-owned restaurants where a lot of care and pride goes into the food and dining experience. This is one of those wonderful restaurants.

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