July 11, 2016

July 11, 2016 by

 

Sarah Wallace was playing the 5th hole at Neches Pines early Monday morning with Melba and Gary Gores. What was to happen is rare in the golfing world. Sarah hit her tee shot long and to the right and down into a creek to the right of the green. She unruffled, teed up another ball and hit a great shot right at the flag. When she arrived at the green she could not find her ball, it was not there. Sarah, an eternal optimist and with Gary watching, checked the cup … YIPPEE!!! The second ball landed in the cup. Sarah has NEVER hit a tee shot into the cup on any hole. Obviously she was excited and proud of a rare event in the golfing world. Par, or a hole-in-one, who cares? Sarah Wallace has had and will have many opportunities to play golf because she and Richard have lived next to Neches Pines Golf Course for many years. Monday was a unique experience by her and her playing partners and will be long remembered!

We enjoyed eating and visiting with Mike and Dana Amason last week. Mike grew up in Diboll and is the Flooring Department Manager at Lowes; Dana teaches 4th grade math at Etoile. They had returned that day from vacationing with his children, 12-year-old Michael Ryan and 17-year-old Mikayla. They had been to Lake Conroe at the LaTorretta Resort, Houston, Austin and floated the San Marcus River. Mike and Dana have almost completed their mission to eat at all of the Top 35 Best Burgers from Texas Monthly’s 2009 list. While in Austin they ate their 30th at the Mighty Fine Burger but admitted the Angelina County Airport could easily be in the Top Ten.

Earlier that day at the round table, we had visited with Peanut and Denise Mayo while they were getting new tires put on Denise’s truck. She is a mail carrier in Nacogdoches and Peanut works with Mike Amason at Lowe’s. Peanut and Mike are members of a band that has been playing Blues during Glenn Lenderman’s open mike at The Restoration Bar some Thursday evenings. Mike mentioned that Merrick Roche has played with them and is a very talented guitarist if you can get him to play.

Keith Dover is doing well after getting home from the Philmont Ranch in NM serving as an assistant scout master with troop 136 where his son, Jeffery, is a member. Steve Rayborn is the Scout Master for Troop 136 and Bill Wafer is the Scout Master for Troop 128 from Diboll who also participated in the 12 day Trek (hike). These two troops, each with a total of 11 members, joined 5,000 other scouts for this once in a lifetime adventure. They camped out, carried backpacks that weighed anywhere from 40 to 60 pounds and slept in pup tents. They hiked a total of 121 miles and reached the 12,241’ summit of “Baldy Mountain” and 9,000’ “Tooth of Time” summit. These scouts definitely earned their hiking badge, covering 18 miles one day. They carried prepacked meals for two but all leftovers and anything smellable had to go into “bear” bags; zip lock bags that were suspended in hopes of not attracting a bear. One day a cinnamon bear did come within a short distance of the group but turned and went a different direction. It was a good trip and the boys met other scouts from Hawaii and South Carolina. Keith lost some weight but Jeffery lost 25 pounds.

Cathy Lott from Zavalla stopped by for feed. Her 9-year-old daughter, Valerie, is excited about attending Sewing Camp at Bove Sewing Center and is having fun making a cape for her dog, Josie. Valerie is left handed and fortunate that her teacher, Lostra Burrow, is also left handed. During the school year, Lostra works as an Interventionist for the Diboll school district.

The ladies of the Deer Trace Bible Study group recently completed a study of the book of John. A great study of the life and deity of Jesus. To discuss a future study and for fun and fellowship they went to Mar-Tres Tea Room for lunch. Those going were: Lacy Chandler, the teacher, Dortha Jackson, Linda Miller, Billie Robison and Tellie Williams. Every one enjoyed the food and fellowship. They missed those who couldn’t make it and it was decided to study the book of James next. All ladies of Deer Trace are invited. Call Billie Robison for meeting place.  829-0327.

Bob Davis came in with his 10-year-old grandson Hunter. They had plans to go fishing the next day at Shirley Creek and see if they could do as well as the week before, catching 91 2-3lb. catfish in four hours. With Bob last week and going again were his cousin, Max McCormack, retired Ag teacher from New Summerfield, his brother and sister-in-law, Ron and Theta Davis from Lufkin and of course, Hunter.

I am thankful to Allison Amason for the following news. Parker Amason, along with parents Matt and Allison, celebrated his 17th birthday in Cozumel, Mexico.  They arrived the day of his birthday and were met with a tray of chocolate covered strawberries and a card from their resort.  They enjoyed a week of snorkeling, swimming, and relaxing in hammocks around the island.  One highlight was seeing countless (huge) Great Barracuda, among many other beautiful tropical fish.

Matt had a couple of mishaps early in the trip. He got a bad cut on the bottom of his foot from stepping on a sharp rock hidden in the sand.  He hobbled around the rest of the week!  On day 3, he was stung by something on his back (didn’t see what it was), and Parker had to remove the stinger that was still in his skin.  Around 2:00 A.M., he got really sick and was in bed the entire next day.  While he recuperated, Allison and Parker took the 45 minute ferry ride across to the mainland. They toured the Ancient Mayan Ruins in Tulum, and spotted many (some really big) iguanas who thrive in the hot, dry climate.  Some of the ruins are on high cliffs overlooking gorgeous beaches and water.  From there, they went snorkeling in fresh cool water in mangroves in Akuma.  It was rejuvenating after the extreme heat in Tulum.  After that, they went to Playa del Carmen for amazing shrimp tacos and shrimp cocktails, then enjoyed shopping and watching Mayans in full costume performing dances with the beautiful Caribbean Sea as a background.  When back at their resort, they found Matt still sick in bed.  He got up long enough for the room to be cleaned but by the next day he was feeling well enough to enjoy some beach time.  The next day they rented a jeep and rode all around the island, stopping to snorkel, eat, swim, and relax in hammocks.  It was a wonderful trip that was enjoyed by all.   Upon arriving in Houston and after all the wonderful seafood they had eaten, their first stop was Whataburger!

I received an email from Irma Guerrero and Justin Barley that the Temple Library will be selling enchilada plates THIS FRIDAY (July 15th). Plates are $7 and will include 3 enchiladas, rice, beans, and a bottle of water. This fundraiser will help light the library for Christmas this year, so pass this along to anyone you think might be interested!

Stay cool and come see us…’round the table.

 

 

Filed Under: July 2016, News from the Round Table at Pouland's

July 4, 2016

July 4, 2016 by

 

Is it hot or not?  How did we ever survive without air conditioning? Somehow we did. My car’s 12-year-old air conditioner decided it was time to “give up” and quit working. For a few minutes I kept driving with the windows up but soon let them down. I tried opening the sun roof but the sun was just too hot. I got to Diboll Motors as quickly as possible but with the approaching holiday and needing parts, Mike said it would be after the 4th before he could “fix it”. In the meantime, that meant I would be riding with John Ralph in his red GMC pickup that I detest trying to gracefully get off the ground and into the front seat. We made it for a couple of days and then he decided I need to drive the pickup and follow him on his tractor. Of course that meant I had to re-adjust the seat forward, upward and bring the back toward the front. I didn’t know it would also alter the brake pedal and the accelerator. I thought, I’ll set my personal seat adjustment on number “2” of his fancy pick up and leave his on number “1”. Boy, was that a mistake! Tuesday morning when JR got into his pickup and turned the key on, everything started moving toward my number 2 setting and pressed him like a pancake against the steering wheel. I think it made him panic until someone else was able to reverse the situation. Needless to say, I’m banned from driving his pickup unless I can do so without changing anything! So, I caught a ride to work Tuesday morning only to discover the air conditioning in my office decided to quit working. As I write this, I am sitting in front of an oscillating fan that seems to be blowing hot air toward me and blowing all the papers off my desk. Hopefully, by the time you read this I should be riding and working in cool air conditioning and being ever so thankful for doing so.

Tuesday, Earl and Joyce Carr were at the round table getting their RV ready for another trip and being members of Fairview Baptist Church, told me they had another successful July 4th event at the church. In talking with the pastor, Gene Hazell, he confirmed it was a great success, their 12th annual event, but it was also the last. Gene said their first event twelve years ago started because Lufkin decided not to have their annual fireworks display at the zoo. Members of the church got together and planned a July 4th event and were happy with the 60 or so people that attended that year. They decided to do it the following year and had about 100; the third year about 200 and this year the event drew about 1200 to 1300 people including some from Livingston and Nacogdoches. The pastor said it is a big project that takes several days of preparation using volunteers plus help from the Angelina County Sheriff’s department inmates to assist in setting up and taking the huge tent. There is a 3-1/2 minute filming of the impressive fireworks taken from a drone operated under the technical direction of Logan Lair; it’s on You Tube if you want to see it.

While visiting with Pastor Gene Hazell he invited the public to come to Fairview Baptist Church (at the intersection of FM 58 and FM 2108) on Monday, July 11, at 7PM to hear evangelist and motivational speaker, David Ring. From his website I found the following. “Few individuals have felt the crushing blows that have besieged David Ring since birth. He was born to lose. On October 28th, 1953, in Jonesboro, Arkansas, David was born with Cerebral Palsy. Orphaned at age 14, he was cast about from family to family with nowhere to call home. He endured constant physical pain, humiliating public ridicule and constant discouragement. Yet in the face of these seemingly insurmountable obstacles, David emerged not victimized…but victorious! You’ve never heard a speaker quite like David Ring. Although difficult to understand at first, you will soon find yourself captured by his quick wit and warm personality. Mark your calendar and make plans to attend.

Thomas Anderson and Dr. Ed Domingue are both retired and members of the same Sunday school class at First Baptist in Lufkin. These two and other members of their class meet for breakfast at the airport every Wednesday morning then these two come to the round table and visit. Andrea volunteered to cook their breakfast the following Wednesday at the round table. Present for homemade biscuits, eggs, bacon and sausage the next week were Larry Ross, Roy Cates, Jerry Hennington, Thomas and Dr. Domingue. Woody Ingram who drinks coffee every morning before leaving to “fire the boilers” also enjoyed eating and visiting with the guys. They were all complimentary of Andrea’s “cathead” biscuits.

A group of ladies who gather for lunch every Thursday drove to Woodville to enjoy a family style meal at The Pickett House. Enjoying the ride was JoNell Placker, Joyce Carlton, Mary Lou Havard and their designated driver, Kathreen Chuke. JoNell and Joyce stopped by the round table for coffee later in the afternoon. I owe JoNell an apology for a note I found about her cousin, Sue Liles, who was in town visiting her. Sue grew up in Alto but now lives in Port Charlotte, FL and has taught school in six different states. Sue only spent one night with JoNell because she was unable to sleep with the train coming through during the night.

We thoroughly enjoyed getting to meet and visit with Ernie and Peggy Battle when they stopped “just to look around”. They live in the South Bend subdivision off FM58 across from “The Lot” that is shared between Sandra and Joe Varga and the Larry Choates. It looks more like a park, beautifully landscaped and where the Battles were invited to celebrate the 4th of July with neighbors. Ernie and Peggy are relatively new to this area and John Ralph tried to tell them everything he could about Diboll and the surrounding area. In fact, Ernie borrowed one of Bob Bowman’s books from our mini library to learn more history about this area.

Peggy Burt was thoughtful to bring us a pan of cinnamon rolls to share at the round table. The delicious cinnamon rolls were made by Tina Jowell who is making a name for herself with her baking talents. She loves to bake and will be happy to take orders for anyone needing something sweet. She calls her hobby, Dessert First and you can reach her on her cell at 1-512-963-2600.

Ray Paulsey plans to not do anymore weed eating with the purchase of 2-1/2 gallons of the weed killer “Eraser”.

I have visited with David McCarty from Leggett before when he’s come in to buy garden seeds as he did last week. This time he was wearing shorts and I had not realized he is an amputee. That doesn’t seem to slow him down as he works and still gardens. Just a few years ago he learned the art of cleaning windows and made his living doing so with customers in Woodville, Trinity, Livingston, Corrigan and Diboll. Some of you may remember seeing him while cleaning windows at Brookshire Brothers, First Bank & Trust, City of Diboll or the Dairy Cream.

Hey, my office is cooling down thanks to Ricky Morris with Morris Air Conditioning and Mike Shivers at Diboll Motors just called to say my car is ready! Both of these dependable and reliable businesses belong to the Diboll Business Association which encourages you to shop locally.

Stay cool and come see us…’round the table.

 

 

Filed Under: July 2016, News from the Round Table at Pouland's

June 27, 2016

June 27, 2016 by

 

Joe and Kay Gage left Diboll on May 16th in their comfortable RV with a destination of Carlisle, PA. The route they chose took them by way of Tuscaloosa, AL to attend the high school graduation of their granddaughter, Casey Cheyenne Gage, who plans to attend a Junior College and then on to becoming an Occupational Therapist. Her proud parents are Joe Grant and Allison Gage. The trip continued on to Birmingham, AL, Chattanooga and Sweetwater, TN. They thoroughly enjoyed the sites along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Reaching their destination in Pennsylvania, they parked for two weeks at the Western Village RV Park. During that time they toured Hershey, PA “the sweetest place on earth”. While touring the chocolate factory, Joe said you could see, feel, hear and smell the transformation of cocoa beans into delicious chocolate treats. They bought chocolate bars but none of them made it back to Diboll.

In the Amish country of Lancaster, PA they ate at the Good and Plenty Restaurant where they dined on sauerkraut and wieners and later bought “friendship” bread from the Amish. While in the Lancaster area they toured the historical Gettysburg battle grounds and drove to other popular places in the area that included: Bird-In-Hand; Blueball and Intercourse, PA.  Their trip continued on to Sharpsburg, Maryland to the site of The Battle of Antietam also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg. Fought in 1862 it was the first major battle in the Civil War to take place on Union soil and is the bloodiest single-day battle in American history.

Joe and Kay knew there were not in Texas when in just one day they drove through four states: Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland. In trying to get to the easternmost town in West Virginia, these two endured a two hour detour to learn more and visit Harpers Ferry where in 1859, a U.S. military arsenal was located and the target of the historical assault by an armed band of abolitionists led by John Brown.

After visiting the historical sites, Joe and Kay drove back to Carlisle, PA to attend two more graduations. One was another high school graduation of Cain Meadows. The second was a graduate of the US Army War College. Joe and Kay’s son, Phillip, is now a Full Bird Colonel in the US Army and Joe had the honor of “frocking”, which means pinning him. Phillip has 22 years of service and will be stationed in Afghanistan for one year. The Gages’ return trip to Texas included a stop in Memphis to tour Graceland and visit his sister in Mt. Pleasant, driving more than 4,000 miles on this trip. Our congratulations to all who graduated and grateful for the safe trip there and back.

There are two more proud parents in Diboll, Luis and Rosie Maldonado. Their son, Marco has completed his first year at Tyler Junior College where he is a member of the golf team. Marco had a fantastic year of golfing. According to Luis, Marco was First Team Regional; Ping All-American First Team; NSCAA First Team All-American; Phil Mickelson Freshman of the Year; Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year Finalist and ranked 2nd in NJCAA Division II. WOW! Very impressive! Congratulations!

John and Leann Sikes are a couple who look forward to a weekly trip to the lake. John has always loved to bass fish and Leann enjoyed fishing for crappie. Not too long ago, John convinced Leann to just “try” bass fishing. She did, and now she is “hooked”. They belong to the No Name Bass Club and every Thursday afternoon they go fishing. The tournament is from 5-8PM. As of June 23rd, John and Leann were #22 out of 94 teams; seems Leann “caught” on fast! These two also fish with other Diboll folks; Bill and Artie Yates who were in 10th place; William Flournoy and his fishing partner were #2 and the team of Lanton Chumbley and Russell Sparks were #5. Have fun and good luck!

My DHS classmate, English teacher, author, philosopher and good friend sent me an email with the following instruction, Betty Hendrick said to me, “I know you sometimes don’t mention events at the Pouland ranch, but this is special, and I trust you will add it as written:

          Lifelong friends gathered on Friday for a delicious salad lunch hosted by Sandra Pouland.  Sandra and JoAnn Rainwater put together lunch of chicken salad, fresh fruit, peach tea, and brownies topped by Blue Bell chocolate mint ice cream.  Enjoying the meal and lots of laughter and shared memories (the latter of which we are so grateful we can still recall!) were Linda (Baker) Smeltzer, Billie Jean (Baker) Capps, JoAnn (Hendrick) Rainwater, Donnie (Weeks) Smith, Sandra (Powell) Pouland, Betty Hendrick, and one of Billie Jean’s grandchildren, Hallie Flynt.  Hallie was celebrating her 13th birthday and will likely remember a long time listening to stories from us “ancient ones.”  Linda was in town for the Baker reunion, scheduled for Saturday. Besides looking at the collection of animals on the ranch, those who chose to endure the heat shared more good times.  One of the “highlights” was a “Blue Moon” duet played by Sandra and JoAnn.  Once they got into the swing of the music, they played well; we are sure Mrs. Purdy, our music teacher, would have been proud….perhaps even surprised the ladies could recall all of that after so many years.  The event really was a good time had by all! 

Don’t forget to bring your lawn chairs and enjoy Music in the Park, this Saturday, July 2nd in Old Orchard Park. The festivities celebrating Independence Day begin at 6PM with fun, food, games, music and lots of fireworks. It will be a HOT time in the OLD town that night! Hope to see you there.

Pouland’s will be closed on Saturday, July 2 and also on Monday for the official holiday. Come see us later…’round the table.

 

Filed Under: June 2016, News from the Round Table at Pouland's

June 20, 2016

June 20, 2016 by

 

Diboll School Board members Trey Wilkerson, Ronnie Coleman, Laura Cooper, Roy Salazar, Greg Stephens, and Rodney Cheshire each attended training in San Antonio last week at the TASB Summer Leadership Institute.   They each participated in multiple sessions related to Texas schools, hearing speakers and visiting with Board members from other districts in an effort to learn things that can be used in Diboll.  Every one of the Diboll attendees sat in on a least one session related to the superintendent search process to help better equip them to handle that responsibility.

Once the conference ended on Saturday, Trey and Michele Wilkerson, along with Annabeth and Ryan, headed for the Hill Country.  They first went to Bandera, and the kids enjoyed a performance of the gunfighters in the “Cowboy Capital of the World”.  At the end of the show the kids were sworn in as deputies and given badges, which Ryan is probably still wearing.  From Bandera, they headed on to Fredericksburg, and Saturday evening they took in an incredible performance of Beauty and the Beast by the Fredericksburg Theater Company.  It was a top-notch performance with over 40 actors on stage at one time.  Even 7 year old Ryan was mesmerized for over two hours by the show!

On Sunday, they splashed in the Guadalupe River in Kerrville for a few minutes, then headed over to Enchanted Rock.  It was a beautiful day, and Trey and the kids climbed almost to the top of the 425 foot high granite hill and enjoyed the views of the surrounding countryside.  Then it was time to go back through Fredericksburg and grab some peaches before heading towards Diboll.

The following is news from our local “pickers”, David and Charlotte Carter who own His & Hers Trade Days in Burke. Charlotte writes. We made a very ‘quick pick’ trip to the 200 mile Highway ​70 Yard Sale which runs from Memphis to Nashville, Tennessee. We left Burke at 4:30AM on a Thursday and we had lunch in Forrest City, Arkansas. By 1:30 we were on the sale trail.  We found a few good stops that afternoon and then spent most of the day that Friday looking for treasures. We learned when to stop and when not to even though it is very hard for David to pass up a yard sale.  Our best items we found were at out of the way old homesteads.  We stopped at one gentleman’s home who must have cleaned out his barn of old rakes and such.  We got a primitive post hole digger among other things from him. We met another couple off on a side road who had several things set up but as we talked she told us she had her ‘good stuff’ in her home so we were able to get a few nice items there. One was a bakelite base, gold horse clock.  Bakelite is made with a combination of sawdust and formaldehyde. It is a beautiful piece. The best part of that visit was that we were invited to come back and they will have some more treasures for us including old toys. A nice find at another home was an old cast iron money bank that is worth over $200. We ventured on up to Marion Illinois that Friday evening and met a couple we have befriended for dinner. The next morning we went to her little shop and then to their place to pick up items we had left the last visit we made.  David loaded up an old wringer washer that works and several pieces of furniture including a few cabinets from an old barber shop. We started back home that Saturday evening staying in Searcy, Arkansas and then on home Saturday.  We are already planning another trip in July. We are always looking for treasures for our trade days where ‘old is new’! I recommend you stop by His & Hers Trade Days on highway 59 in Burke where there is always something new and interesting.

Jesse and Suzanne Bradford had the joy of carrying their eight-year-old granddaughter, Addyson Arnold, on a cruise. They left Galveston on the Carnival cruise ship Liberty and sailed to Cozumel and Progresso. Addyson never meets a stranger and had a blast aboard the ship. She stayed busy with the Kids Carnival Club day and night. At dinner each evening she not only tried new foods but actually liked most of it and made friends quickly with another 8-year-old at the table. The waiters always wanted Addyson to dance with them during their evening entertainment. All three, Jesse, Suzanne and Addyson, enjoyed the professional Broadway-type shows in the evening. Suzanne said Jesse was the perfect grandpa and took charge of Addyson while Suzanne got to relax, enjoy a hot stone massage and plenty of time to read. At all times there was something going on. When the ship docked, Suzanne and Addyson did some serious shopping in Progresso and in Cozumel all three swam, shook hands and even kissed the dolphins. It was another great trip for the Bradfords with fun and smooth sailing. Addyson is the youngest daughter of Glenn and JonAnna Arnold.

Jennifer Horton showed us pictures of produce from their daughter’s garden in Conroe. Her dad, Gary Horton, has always had a garden in his front yard on FM 1818 and we were disappointed not to see one this year but it looks like his daughter April is coming along in his footsteps raising tomatoes, peppers, strawberries and several varieties of squash. April is also mechanically talented and along with her husband, Joe Fowler, put a radiator in Gary’s pickup while visiting him during the Father’s Day weekend. Jennifer and Gary enjoyed the grandchildren during the visit. Their grandson, Miles, is almost two and loves his grandma. Granddaughter, Brooklynn, is almost five. She seems partial to her grandpa and made him a special card for Father’s Day. Jennifer has been a faithful employee of the Diboll ISD. She is beginning her18th year in the cafeteria.

Almost every Friday a group of ladies get together for lunch; this past Friday they went to the Olive Garden. The group includes JoNell Placker, Joyce Carlton, Mary Lou Havard and Kathryn Chuke. Afterwards, they came to Poulands’ for a cup of coffee and were delighted to visit with Joe Donald Smith and his son, Bill. Earlier that week, JoNell and Mary Lou visited with Milford Ruby in his home where he and Mary Lou discussed the good ole days of living in Fastrill. Milford is not driving at the present time so remember him and give him a call or go visit.

The Diboll Area Lions Club has boxes around town in various businesses to collect eye glasses. The organization cleans and repairs them to be given to children and adults that need them. We are proud to have one of the boxes available at Poulands so you can drop your glasses off here and come see us…’round the table.

 

Filed Under: June 2016, News from the Round Table at Pouland's

June 6, 2016

June 6, 2016 by

 

Don & Sandy Hendrick attended Doug Waters’ UT graduation party in Austin on May 20th. His parents are Mike and Renae Waters of Diboll and his only sister, Chelsea Christmas, is a graduate of Texas A&M. Chelsea managed to wear orange nail polish but her hair was “Aggie” Maroon.  In addition to Don & Sandy, Doug’s parents and grandparents, some of the other guests included longtime coaching friends, T.J. & Manonne Johnson, Jeff & Donya Stiffle.

After the party, Don & Sandy drove to Fredericksburg and enjoyed some shopping and sightseeing before traveling on to Kerrville to visit with longtime friends from Diboll, Bill & Linda Fulmer. Sandy said their Hill Country home is beautiful! That’s what everyone says that has been there to visit the Fulmers. They are still missed in Diboll.

On May 27, Don & Sandy Hendrick & Bob & Laurel Youngblood went to Magnolia to attend the wedding of Nick Papaioannau & Kaitlin Anderson.  Nick is the son of Rich & Sage and grandson of Janie & Pat McCann.  They left Diboll at 12:30 PM, it was raining very hard and it took five & a half hours to get to the wedding venue. Only about half of the wedding guests were able to attend because of the stormy weather. They were grateful to have motel reservations and not have to drive home that night. The weather wasn’t much better the next day and it took five hours to get from Magnolia to Diboll. It was an experience they hope never to repeat!

Dianne Gipson was happy to attend a luncheon last weekend for the annual reunion of alumni who attended St. Agnes Academy in Houston. It was held at the Jr. League of Houston and Dianne said it was a beautiful venue. She graduated in 1959, at that time the school was located on Fannin Street. Some of the alumni present went all the way back to 1945. It was a great luncheon and she always looks forward to going and thankful to her husband, Mike, who was willing to drive through the bad weather to get to Houston and back safely.

While Bill Dean Yates was in the store I got him to tell me about his beautiful granddaughter’s graduation from James Bowie High School in Richmond. Haven Burrous’ graduation was held in the Toyota Center in Houston at 11AM on Friday. Bill said finding a place to park was most difficult as there were SIX graduations that day all from Brazos County high schools. Some were coming and others going all day long; there was approximately 600 in Haven’s class. Bill and Carolyn Yates attended along with their two daughters, Casey Jackson from New Braunfuls and Cassidy (Butch) Turner and her two young daughters: one-year-old, Piper and three-year-old, Perrie from Apple Springs. Also driving from Louisiana were Patsy (Grimes) Brown and her daughter Cricket. Haven’s little brother, Heston and her mom Heidi, of course were there along with her step dad, Billy Schmidt whose parents provided a delicious BBQ dinner after the graduation. Haven’s older brother, Hunter Burrous, is presently serving in the US Air Force stationed in Japan after serving a tour in Afghanistan.

Owning a Raymond Ryan original oil painting has been a dream of mine for decades. About a year ago I approached Raymond about painting some of our longhorn steers. He called last week to say he had completed the project and I have to say, it was worth the wait! It is a beautiful painting of four longhorns in our back pasture. My intentions were to surprise JR for his birthday last year but he got an early birthday present this year. I would like to think this painting got Raymond “back in the saddle” and motivated to use his God given talent of painting. Growing up in Burke with his siblings, Kenneth, Bobby and Sara Rios, the children of Mr. & Mrs. Cecil Ryan, I asked Raymond when he realized he had a talent. Grinning, in his bashful, quiet, soft spoken manner, he said one of his teachers at the Burke school, whether it was Tennie Havard, Abby Travis or Nell Walker, he couldn’t remember which one, but one of them complimented and bragged about a drawing of a lizard and he thought, “I’m an artist!” At age 19, Raymond took classes from Mary Reid at AC who he said, “Was a big encourager”. He also took lessons at SFA.

Back in the ‘80’s, Raymond approached the ranch manager of the largest land and Cattle Company in West Texas, the Pitchfork Ranch, and asked permission to take pictures of the cattle operation. The reply was “yes” and Raymond moved into the bunk house and watched the ranch hands during the spring roundup through the lens of his camera. That week of photographs inspired lots of paintings. Raymond Ryan has been featured in the Western Horseman and has sold paintings from Massachusetts, Florida, Seattle and is hoping for a buyer in California to cover all four corners of the lower US.

My niece, Marty Scarborough, graduated from DHS in 1983 and four years later from SFA with a BS in education. She began her teaching career 28 years ago in the Corrigan-Camden ISD and has had perfect attendance for 27 years! She also earned a Master’s Degree while teaching and has taught 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades. She is a dedicated teacher and in May, the CISD awarded her the coveted Teacher of the Year Award. She received a trophy, a double ice cream freeze, a basket of goodies and a gift card. Through the years, I’ve seen Marty grade papers while faithfully taking care of her grandparents, “Bug” and Dorothy Scarborough and Geraldine Pouland. I know they would all be so very proud of Marty, just as we are. Congratulations Marty, we love you!

Enjoy the sunshine, remember those who have lost their homes during the flooding and come see us…’round the table.

 

Filed Under: June 2016, News from the Round Table at Pouland's

May 30, 2016

May 30, 2016 by

 

The first city-organized Memorial Day service was held at 10AM on Monday at the Wall of Honor located on the grounds of the TLL Temple Library. The few that attended were impressed with the service which was officiated by Pastor Ronnie Coleman.  Mayor John McClain welcomed everyone and the Star Spangle Banner was beautifully sung by Emily Bulling, a music major from SFA. Sam Coleman, a veteran and also Vice Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars provided some American flags. Our city manager, Gerry Boren, spoke and expressed his wishes for this service to become an annual event. He and his wife, Marcie, also donated flags to the attendees that planted the flags on the lawn in memory of soldiers who they knew that made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we have living in the United States of America.

Diboll’s Veterans Memorial Wall was a project of the Ladies Auxiliary for the Diboll VFW Post and was approved by the city council to begin construction in December, 1998. It wasn’t until February of 2000 that it was officially dedicated. In May of 2004 another ceremony dedicated a second wall with special recognition to David McCall of Orangeburg, SC for the 15’ sign he made and donated; to Allen Tucker who donated the masonry work; to Hellen Schmidt for the first flag; to Demco Manufacturing for the flag pole and to the City of Diboll for donating the space for the wall. I know there were lots of ladies and veterans involved in making this memorial wall a reality but one I remember was a 5’2” blond powerhouse, mover & shaker, Lois Hurd.

A little bit more information about Emily Bulling who sang the National Anthem. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Music and Education from SFA on May 14 and said it was an honor to sing at the memorial service. As a music student at SFA, Emily met Gerry & Marcie Boren’s son, Robert, and they began dating because of their mutual interests in music. Robert Boren earned his BS in music from SFA and is near to completing his master’s degree while studying and also working as a Professor’s Assistant in the Music department. Robert and Emily have both sung in several of the operas at SFA and performed as guest soloists at First Methodist Church of Nacogdoches and elsewhere. Robert Boren was recently hired as the choir director at First Methodist Church of Bullard. His mother, Marcie, shared with me that she realized Robert had perfect pitch at the age of 3-1/2 while singing along in the car with songs on the radio.

John and Gloria Ogden recently fulfilled a wish of Gloria’s to visit Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC. On the way they traveled through Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Washington. They went through Yellowstone National Park and saw lots of snow, bison and Old Faithful. While they were in Colorado, they had an unexpected excitement when they heard a terrible noise in the car. John told Gloria to stop the car and he began looking for the problem. In the meantime, Gloria looked in the backseat and saw chips spilled everywhere and a bag that looked like it had exploded. They assumed the higher altitude caused the bag of chips to explode. They made it to Bainbridge Island and spent two nights in Sequim where the air is filled with the fragrance of lavender from all the lavender farms everywhere. As they neared Canada, the Black Ball ferry carried them to Victoria, BC. Gloria said the gardens are beautiful as she expected but not as large so they completed their tour in two hours and got back on the ferry.

The next item on their itinerary took them to Neah Bay, Washington to walk the Cape Flattery Trail to the furthest point one can go in the northwest lower 48 states. Walking sticks are provided and came in handy for the uphill climb. The trail went through beautiful forest with ferns and other unusual plants on the forest floor and when you come out of the forest there is a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean. It’s awesome when you realize you cannot go any further north or west. The trail is located on the Makah Indian tribe’s reservation. They have an informative museum about their people and how they managed to survive in this area.

While riding one day, John could not believe that Gloria wanted to stop and ask an owner working in his yard if she could have one of his “red hot poker” plants. He said “yes” because he was getting ready to dig up his plants and move them anyway so he graciously gave her one to bring to Texas. (It never hurts to ask.) From there they traveled down the Pacific coastline. At one point there were miles and miles of dairies that provide milk for Tillamook Cheese, John and Gloria enjoyed visiting a Tillamook Cheese store. In San Francisco they stopped for sourdough bread and chowder at Boudin’s and a milk shake and sundae at Ghirardelli Square. In Thousand Palms they bought dates at Medjool Date store and visited a friend in Las Cruces. Getting anxious to get home, they arrived in Houston the same time that thunder storms and torrential rains caused flooding. They had to spend the night in Houston and make several detours the next day. Gloria said, “Diboll sure looked good when we finally got to the city limits.” Thank you John and Gloria for sharing your travels.

My thanks to Jimmie Woodard for sharing the following news about her holiday weekend: I went to Shreveport for Memorial Day weekend and had a blast at the Mudbug Festival. The Crawfish Calling contest was a hoot! The Crawfish Eating contest was a little long (took contestants too long to shuck crawfish). The Crawfish Races were a little on the slow side, but a blast to watch and I had a tremendous time listening to the various bands that provided entertainment.  My gambling experience at the Horseshoe Casino yielded a mighty $6.95, so if anyone needs a loan, my interest rates are very low!!!  I also enjoyed seeing my Shreveport friends, the Allens and had a great weekend.

Jimmy and Noel Sims spent the holiday at the Omni in Houston. Meeting them there for a day was their daughter and son-in-law, Heather and Matthew Elam and their son Jonathan (Taylor) and his girlfriend, Hallie Million. They all enjoyed a good meal at the Italian Restaurant, La Piatto. After the kids left, Jimmy and Noel were pampered with massages, sitting by the pool eating and relaxing. Jimmy is 100# lighter and enjoying his new Martial Arts business venture, Lionhart, which is located in Diboll.

Congratulations to all graduates, from kindergarten to college. It’s an exciting time for them and their families. Thomas and Rena Lowther have a house full of graduates. All three of their sons are graduating. Adam will graduate from Texas A&M in August. This summer he will be interning at Bird & Crawford Land Management. Colin graduated in May from SFA with a degree in Business Management and is working for Fastenal in Nacogdoches and Benjamin will graduate from Diboll High School this week and plans to attend SFA this summer. Congratulations to all!

Come see us…’round the table.

 

 

Filed Under: May 2016, News from the Round Table at Pouland's

May 23, 2016

May 23, 2016 by

 

Wes McClain is putting Diboll on the map again! Wes is on the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica along with Sam Fidone from Lufkin. These two kids grew up about 11 miles away from each other and are tied for the lead heading into the final round of the 58th Abierto Mexicano de Golf. These two Texans and long-time competitors go way back to playing little league baseball together, competing in golf in high school and college and now in the final group of this PGA tour. Wes said, “I know there’s a lot of people back home pulling for us. If either one of us comes out on top, it’s a great week for us and East Texas so I’m really excited, It’s going to be special!”

Jimmie Woodard has returned from another trip. This time she went to Anaheim, California with her friend, Vivien Standridge, who had to attend a business conference. While Vivien was in conference Sunday and Monday, Jimmie says, “I went to Disney Downtown, California Adventure and Disneyland.  At Disney Downtown, I made some purchases and enjoyed great food. At California Adventure, I got to see the World of Color, an electrifying water and colored light show, depicting Walt Disney’s life starting with a mouse named Mickey and ending with the theme parks that now exist. At Disneyland we rode some rides, had some snacks, and thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful electric lighted parade at 9 p.m. followed by fireworks to close the park.  A fun adventure, an exciting journey and a fast paced few days!!!!   LIFE IS GOOD!”

Richard and Jo Ann Rainwater rendezvoused recently with friends Chick and Lollie Bever of Tampa, FL at Natchitoches, LA for a two-night stay at the beautiful Samuel Guy House B&B before motoring together to Diboll for more visiting. The Bevers wanted to make a road trip in their new Corvette Stingray. Lollie was concerned that the trunk would not hold enough for the 10-day round trip, but she was amazed that she still had three outfits that she never wore. Jo Ann needs an SUV to haul her “stuff” on trips!!! The girls did manage to buy a few items at Jo Ann’s favorite clothing store in Natchitoches, The Hall Tree. As Lollie says, pack light and then you can buy more! The group arrived in Diboll on Thursday afternoon in time to attend that night’s performance of “Mamma Mia” at the Temple Theater which they all enjoyed very much. The four-night stay at the Rainwaters was “laid back” with hours spent on the patio enjoying the cooler weather and watching the birds – all they wanted to do in addition to having one of Richard’s famous steaks grilled to perfection.

Lots of you will know Janet Purcell Kilgore of Diboll from working at Memorial Hospital for 33 years. She worked everywhere but in the nursery but mostly as a surgical nurse. Janet started working in 1975 as a nurse’s aide and continued her education to complete her nursing degree. Now that she is retired Janet is fighting cancer for the third time and was having a good day when she stopped by the store to show us her latest ancestry project. She loves tracing her ancestors and has done quite well on her mother’s side. In fact when she was fortunate enough to visit the large collection in Salt Lake City, Utah, she was disappointed they didn’t have much and asked for copies of her information.

This past February Janet’s youngest son flew her to Portland, Oregon to visit him and his family. Of course when they asked what she would like to do, it was to visit cemeteries. After visiting three of the oldest cemeteries she was shocked and emotional to find five of her dad’s brothers. (At five years old, Janet’s mom remarried and she never saw her dad again until she was grown but her mother had given her five names of her dad’s brothers). When Janet returned home she got busy and traced her “Purcell” ancestors all the way back to 1083 to her 11th great-grandfather, William Shakespeare; yes, the one from Stratford on Avon. Her 19th great grandfather was Archbishop Canterbury, John Kempe and her 20th was Lord of Weston, Allen, Kempe. Needless to say she is quite proud to have found deep roots of her Purcell heritage. She is also quite proud of her five sons: Lonnie; twins Ronnie and Donnie; Tommie and Jonnie. What a legacy!!

Matt Amason with friend and co-worker Will Jones, will have a story to tell their grandchildren. This modern-day Lewis and Clark launched a boat at the Livingston dam and traveled down the Trinity River to Interstate 10. They did not fish, just floated. It was hard to find camp sites with all the excess water from the recent rains but each night they ate grilled steaks. They have already explored the Sabine River from Toledo Bend to Deweyville so hope to keep you informed of their next adventure.

Trey Denman came in with couple of old guns to show John Ralph and Andrea. The guns had belonged to Sally’s father. He told about one of his dad’s gun that was a handheld Marksman that looked like a service revolver but was actually a BB gun. Trey could not find anyone that could show him how or where to load the BB’s. After several people couldn’t help him someone suggested he look at You Tube. Sure enough, he found a video of a boy about five or six that showed him exactly how to load the gun. Trey bought him a box of BBs before he left.

Filed Under: May 2016, News from the Round Table at Pouland's

May 16, 2016

May 16, 2016 by

 

The newly organized chapter of the Diboll Lions Club, under the direction of President Gary Gores, is not wasting anytime to begin being a service to our community. One of the most important programs that Lions Club has to offer is the KidSight Program to detect early visual conditions. Gary Gores and Lions Club Director, Tracy Nichols were recently certified and trained to use the Spot eye scanning camera service for the Lions’ National KidSight program. The goal of KidSight is to provide an optical camera to objectively scan young people from 6 months to 6 years of age and identify conditions that may be present impairing their vision, catching potential vision problems at an early age can impact eye development in time to make corrections and allow for lifetime improved vision and the basis for better learning. Tammy Holder of Tree House Academy was the first Diboll Area daycare professional to provide the program to their toddlers. If Lions Club KidSight program can be made available as an opportunity for youth, it could indeed be a blessing in their lives .Lions Club International hopes the Lions KidSight program will be supported throughout Texas and impact thousands of children’s’ eye heath in Texas. For more information contact Gary Gores 936-465-8215 goresgolf@ymail.com

It’s not too late to join the Diboll chapter of Lions Clubs and still be a charter member. There has been approximately 60 members that have already joined and there’s always room for more. Contact Gary Gores for more information, 936-465-8215.

Christi Quarles was one proud mother of her youngest son, Owen, who won the $500 savings account from Huntington State Bank for having good grades. Students in grades one through 12 from any school district, private school, charter school even home school as long as they have written and signed Report Card are eligible to register their Report Card A’s for a Chance to Win a $500 Savings Account. There are two drawings a year and Owen won the second semester that is held in May. Winning students are awarded a Certificate for a $500 Savings Account in front of their classmates on their school campus. Since the bank first initiated the Pays for A’s Program in 2002, they have proudly awarded $60,000+ in Savings Accounts to students in our area. For more information about the Pays for A’s program, contact Stacey Willmann, Marketing Director at (936) 639-5566.

Luis and Rosie Maldonado of Diboll are extremely proud of their son, Marco, who is a freshman at Tyler Junior College. Marco, like his dad, loves the game of golf and is a member of the Tyler Junior College men’s golf team that moved to the top of the latest NJCAA D2 golf poll, the National Office announced Monday.  Additionally, Marco Maldonado was ranked 2nd in the nation individually.  The squad is preparing for the NJCAA D2 National Championships, which will be held May 24-27 at Swan Lake Resort in Plymouth, Indiana. Marco is also one of five who is competing for the Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award. Congratulations and Good Luck to Marco and his team members.

Jimmie Woodward was one of the volunteers that helped the Diboll Business Association with the coke booth at the Tamale Festival last Saturday. In conversation she mentioned a recent trip to Cozumel and agreed to share it with me. Following is the email I received from Jimmie. Tom (Kuhn) and I left Houston for an 8 day visit to Cozumel which turned into an 11 day adventure.  While in Cozumel we snorkeled, swam, sunned, parasailed and did a lot of walking.  One day we took a 30 minute ferry ride to Playa del Carmen and spent the day.  One day we took the submarine ride which took us down 100 feet to view a sunken ship; beautiful fish, tons of awesome coral and formations on the bottom of the ocean and we saw 4 scuba divers.  One day we rented a car and took a trip all the way around the island of Cozumel, which was totally awesome.  We visited a lot of restaurants and, of course, ate while we were there.   Excellent food!!!! And as any vacationer, visited a lot of gift shops, making some souvenir purchases.  At last, it was time to go home but we learned that the Houston airport was flooded, no planes to come and get us, so we had to stay an additional 3 days!   Oh, So, Sad!!!! NOT !  Great fun on a great adventure!

Sitting at the round table one day was Jimmy “Big Mack” McCall, Bobby Chandler, Skeeter Scarborough and Ray Anthony. Skeeter never worked at the paper mill and didn’t contribute much to the conversation or had a chance to say much because the other three had a great time reminiencing about people and good times while working at the paper mill.

Sue Chandler shared with me that her husband Bobby and daughter, Tracey Murray, gave themselves a “surprise” birthday party on May 14th at the Murrays’ home. This is an annual event since Bobby’s birthday is the 15th and Tracey’s is the 16th but I don’t think it is a “surprise” to anyone. The menu included pulled pork, chips and dip and cupcakes for dessert. Enjoying the food and fun were Bobby and Sue Chandler; Leslie and Rickey Stubblefield, their daughter-in-law, Megan and grandson, Carson (Josh had to work); Ray Chandler and fiancée, Ashley; Tracey and Sydney Murray and their son, Caleb, his wife Zowie and beautiful 9-month-old, Henley. Caleb, Zowie and Henley live in Deridder, LA but travel back home quite often.

Marjorie Bass is always “on the go” doing something that usually involves cooking. She said cooking keeps her mind off her aches and pains. We love to see her coming because it usually means she’s been in the kitchen and bringing us something to eat. This past week she brought not only a breakfast dish but also a hearty serving of her homemade chicken and spaghetti. Thank you Margie, you are a sweetheart!

To those of you that didn’t attend the annual Tamale Festival, you missed a treat. I can’t believe they said it was our 9th year for this fun occasion. It was a bit hot but lots of folks drove a distance to enjoy not only hot tamales but a variety of food menus, vendors, rides, lots of entertainment for children and an extraordinary petting zoo that included a camel!!  Where else could you go but in Diboll to see camels and tamales. Put it on your calendar to attend next year, the 2nd Saturday in May. A BIG THANK YOU to the small committee that made this a very successful event.

Come see us…’round the table.

 

Filed Under: May 2016, News from the Round Table at Pouland's, Uncategorized

May 9, 2016

May 9, 2016 by

 

For Mother’s Day, Margie Harrell was proud to receive a pair of Golden State Warriors socks to go with her Warriors jersey. It only takes a few minutes when talking to Margie before the subject of Steph Curry is in the conversation. She has told me before that she’s been watching Steph since he graduated from a small unknown college (Davidson in Davidson, NC) and knew he was on his way to becoming a basketball star. Monday evening Margie helped us serve at a banquet and on leaving, said she was going home, put on her Warriors’ jersey and socks and cheer for Steph and the Golden State Warriors who were playing the Portland Trail Blazers that night. It was such an exciting victory she didn’t go to sleep until after 3AM. The next day at Lions Clubs noon meeting she was still wearing her Warriors jersey and socks and talking about Steph Curry who returned from an injury to score 40 points in Golden State’s overtime win earning him the MVP award.

For those of us that are not as familiar with the Golden State Warriors and Steph Curry as Margie is, this is his second straight year to earn this coveted MVP award in a landslide 131 first place votes which earned him 1,310 points. “It is the first time in NBA’s 61-season history that a player has been the blanket first pick for the award. Margie knows how to pick a winner! Curry’s personal statistics for the season shattered his own record for most three-pointers, which had stood at 286, with 402. He also led the NBA scoring charts with an average 30.1 points per game. I say again, Margie Harrell knows how to pick a winner.

Someone else has had some excitement in their family. Gary and Susie Martel are now grandparents to Luke Daniel Mary, who is the son of Kayla and Adam Mary of Waco. He was born on Wednesday, May 4th at 9:40 AM. On Tuesday evening with bags packed, Susie and Gary received the “on the way to the hospital” call from Adam and cautioned them there was no need to “drive like a bat”. The Martels’ plans were to drive two vehicles so that Gary could return home sooner. Susie was anxiously waiting while Gary was having to make calls and re-arrange his busy schedule for the next couple of days; after all, he is superintendent of Diboll schools. Susie decided she couldn’t wait any longer and “hit the road” knowing Gary would follow her shortly. Somewhere about “Goat Hill”, she got another call from Adam, “baby is coming” and speeds up. Gary was following but never caught her. In Kosse, Texas, Gary looked in his rearview mirror and saw the dreaded flashing lights and dutifully pulled over and had his license ready for the officer who looked at them and said, “That’s OK Mr. Martel, I’ve already given your wife a ticket and I’m not going to give you another one.”

The story continues about 1:30AM in the hospital. Gary and Susie and Adam’s parents, Diane and Richard Wallace of Waco are all in the waiting room; Gary had not said anything to Susie about her speeding ticket. Mr. Wallace asked if they saw any deer while driving to Waco during the night; Gary said “yes” and Susie said “no”. Gary says, “That’s why you got a ticket, you were driving too fast to see any deer”. That had been Susie’s biggest worry that Gary would show up while she was getting a ticket. Her story was she got stopped in Kosse going 67 in a 45MPH. She also dutifully gave the officer her information and he walked away. He came back with a ticket and asked her if it was a medical emergency. After she told him her reason for speeding he was compassionate, gave her his telephone number, and said if she would send him a picture of the baby, he would waive the ticket. Just as soon as baby Luke Daniel was born, Susie was snapping pictures and the officer was one of the first to receive a photo!

Cathy Pavlic and Kathy Sample were in buying hummingbird feeders to give for Mother’s Day gifts. Lewis Ivey bought Shirley another running rose bush for Mother’s Day. Shirley had bought a rose bush last year and it was so big and beautiful this year she wanted another one. Billie Jean Capps and Woody Ingram also bought roses; Billie Jean bought Knock Out roses and Woody bought the new Drift roses that don’t grow as tall as others.

DHS graduate, Josh Brasher, was recognized as an outstanding SFA graduate in the spring issue of Sawdust, the magazine of the SFA alumni association and Stephen F. Austin State University. Josh lives in Winter Garden, Florida and works for Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando but the article talks about him being a balloon handler in Macy’s Thanksgiving parade for the past two years. Josh said, “Walking the 2.5 mile parade route in front of millions of curbside and TV spectators is an exhilarating experience. It’s great to see families and friends enjoying a true American tradition. It’s surreal to be a part of something so iconic.” He also said, “This year was even better because I saw the Lumberjack Marching Band. It was cool to see SFA represented in the parade and the band looked and sounded amazing. I bragged to others about the band and that SFA is my school.”

Tom Harris recently returned from a trip to Belterra Resort in Indiana. This was a military reunion of ECHO Co 1/5 1st Cav. Twenty men, previously serving in Vietnam during 1970-1971 and some being part of the Cambodian incursion, enjoyed reminiscing with each other and tours of Fort Knox and the Kentucky Speedway. Tom and three others had not all been together in over 40 years. Thanks to Tom’s wife, Marty, for sharing this news and a heartfelt “Thank You” to these veterans and all who serve to protect us.

Bobby Chandler was in for garden fertilizer. We are hoping to see more produce this year from gardens than we have seen in the last couple of years. It has not been too long ago that Glen Shivers had surgery but he was in buying pea seeds and Uncle George’s syrup.  Walter Levine shared he was cooking BBQ for Mother’s Day. JoAnn Anderson came in for Caladium bulbs and brought us freshly made ginger snap cookies from San Augustine. Thomas Anderson and Ed Domingue had been to Smith’s Farms in San Augustine to buy greenhouse tomatoes. Smith’s Farm will shut down their tomato greenhouses at the end of this month just in case you love them as much as we do.

The DHS Class of 1983 is planning a reunion on Diboll Day, October 1st, at JR’s Barn. Those of you who are interested can find more information on their Facebook page, “Diboll High School Class of ’83. You can also email Tina Wolf Jowell at tinajowell@yahoo.com

Come see us…’round the table.

Filed Under: May 2016, News from the Round Table at Pouland's

May 2, 2016

May 2, 2016 by

 

World War II veteran John Powers and his lovely wife of 70 years, Mable (Nivens) and their daughter, Johnnica Edgerley of Farmers Branch have returned from a trip to Galveston. The occasion was to attend the spring reunion of the Texas Chapter, 3rd Marine Division Association. Of the 40 that attended, four were survivors of Iwo Jima, John Powers was one of them. Arriving on Thursday evening, most of the group stayed at Gaido’s Seaside Inn on the seawall. With seafood everywhere, their first meal was at The Original Mexican Café (since 1916). The week-end reunion started on Friday morning with an impressive visit to explore the space shuttle replica Independence, mounted on top of the historic and original NASA 905 shuttle carrier aircraft. This is the world’s only shuttle mounted as such and the only one allowing the public to enter both. These veterans had their own reserved time to visit and were most impressed with this outstanding exhibit. From NASA the group carpooled to Santa Fe Seafood and Grill for a lunch buffet, then toured Haak Vineyards. Dinner that evening was at Nick’s followed by a meaningful “flag retreat ceremony” just for them around the flag poles in the parking lot. John and Mable’s daughter, Johnnica, sang the national anthem.

This reunion of the 3rd Marine Division continued on Saturday with a visit to Moody Gardens and a meal at the Garden Restaurant and a visit to the Bryan Museum. This museum has the world’s largest collection of historical artifacts, documents and artwork relating to the Southwestern United States. The evening banquet was held at Fisherman’s Wharf with special guest speaker, Joe E. Stepp who is a retired U.S. Army Special Forces Lt. Colonel with extensive background in Counter-terrorism Operations and Intelligence. He is currently the regional intelligence coordinator within the Pasadena Police Department. Johnnica was again part of the program singing the Star Bangled Banner. The reunion ended the following morning with a final fellowship and good byes until the next reunion in San Antonio.

Justin and Krystal (Fergerson) Jimenez came in with their three cute children: Jori, age 4; Dallee, age 3 and Dillon, 11 months. Justin works in Monahans, Texas which is close to Odessa and comes home every chance he gets some time off.

JoNell Placker received news from Eric Martin of Carrollton, Georgia that his mother, Joyce Martin, recently passed away. At one time John and Joyce Martin lived on Park Street in Diboll while he served as pastor of the Pine Grove Church on FM 1818. As a master carpenter, he later built the nice 2-story home that overlooks the former Boots Havard’s pond and presently owned by John and Kathy Smith.

A precious baby boy, Jacen Luke, was born April 12th to Lawren and Jaci (Hubbard) Scarborough of Diboll. I know one excited great-grandmother ready to spoil him is Peggy Scarborough and then there are his grandparents, Hal and Janie Hubbard of Corrigan; Steven Scarborough and Chasity Murray. Other great-grandparents include Billy Brewer of Pollok and Charlotte who lives in Bald Hill.

Dianne Gibson called to say she is going to become another great-grandmother. She was excited it was only one as this baby will have two-year-old twin brothers who live in Huntsville with their parents, Zachery and Brittney Tate. Sue Baker came in with her grandson, Walker Baker, an 8th grader at Diboll ISD who enjoys being on the fishing team. Sue had to have a new battery.

Michael Dorman and Bettye Greer came in to get their annual supply of caladium bulbs. Everyone says caladiums need to be planted sometime around Mother’s Day. Don’t forget Pouland’s has caladium bulbs if you haven’t bought any. Wanda Fuller came in for okra seed and also bought petunias before she left. She reported her church, Diboll First Assembly, is very close to starting their new building on highway 59 in Burke.

We love to see Billie Jean Capps come in Pouland’s. This visit was to buy the type of potting soil that her dad used when they had Baker’s nursery. It’s the only potting soil she will use, it’s Redi-Earth. She brought us a jar of her famous mayhaw jelly for the round table and we truly love it! Her sister-in-law, Ginger Capps, came in for flower and rose food to make the plants prettier in her yard.

Tammy Bass was in buying candied pickles and Hal Hawthorn bought garden seeds. Chet Winger came in for fertilizer and reported he and his wife Tammy have lots of martins around their home on Lake Rayburn. Bill Stovall and Earl Carr came in early Saturday morning for Bill to pick up the overalls he had ordered.

Richard Spring stopped by with his new Konaice Shaved Ice truck and gave out samples which were very good. He said Konaice has given back 35 million dollars through fund raisers… He is set up to go to schools, day cares, tournaments, weddings, birthday parties and fundraisers. You can reach Richard at 936-676-2399.

We appreciate the many prayers for Jessica Pouland, the wife of our grandson, Brandal, who is breathing with new lungs after having her transplant surgery on Monday in Houston. Please continue to pray for her, her family and the family of the donor. God is Good!

Don’t forget Mother’s Day is May 8 and Pouland’s has some beautiful hummingbird feeders that make a special “I Love You” gift.

Come see us…’round the table.

 

Filed Under: May 2016, News from the Round Table at Pouland's
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