By Debbie Moore

Photographer and water color artist Kitty Lloyd-Watkins will be the featured artist for August at the Bastrop Fine Arts Guild.  Her show entitled “My Favorite Things” will open with the guild’s First Friday reception on Aug.6 from 6-8 p.m. at 1009 Main St.  While you are there, don’t forget to walk across the street to the R. A. Green Mercantile.  I understand that there may be some new artists on hand.

Congrats to our Terry Moore

Singer, actress, community volunteer and all around nice person Terry Moore has been selected to head up the YMCA program that is coming to Bastrop. The Y made a great choice. Terry will do a great job. I am sure we will be hearing more about the program in the near future.

Calling all breast cancer survivors

I received this from Ommaney Smith with Susan G. Komen for the Cure:  “Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Austin Affiliate, has a float honoring all Bastrop County breast cancer survivors in this year’s Bastrop Homcoming Parade and we want you on it. Bastrop Munday Ford has donated beautiful 2010 vehicles for all to ride in, so come one come all and we will see you Aug. 7 on the corner of Cedar and Hill streets at 9 a.m.  For questions and to RSVP, please call Ommaney Smith at (512) 789-6097 or the office at (512) 473-0900.”

What a great gesture. Kudos to the folks at both Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Munday Ford. Get in touch with Ommaney and sign up for the parade so they will know how many of those new Fords to bring.

Speaking of breast cancer

My pal, councilwoman Kay Garcia McAnally, sent in the following: Everybody seems to be reading your column so I’m hoping that you will help get the word out – Bastropians have a choice. We are no longer forced to leave the comfort of our hometown to benefit from top quality radiation treatment for cancer care. That two-hour drive time to and from Austin when a patient is feeling lousy or when time is an issue is no longer necessary.

The Lost Pines Center for Cancer Care on Texas 71 reflects all my expectations of a first-class medical facility. And the money I spend on treatments locally benefits our community. Recent research shows each dollar spent locally will recirculate five times locally! That’s good for Bastrop.

The Rogers’ luau was lots of fun

The Tahitian Village home of Drusilla and Cliff Rogers was the site of their annual luau last Saturday. Drusilla owns and operates Bastrop’s wonderful Sugar Shack and Cliff is a detective with the Austin Police Department.

Cliff did yeoman’s service at the barbecue pit and his brisket was delicious. We all brought a little something and I ate way too much. There were lots of piña coladas and Debbie Denny blended up some of her famous Bushwhackers. The kiddos had a wonderful time in their beautiful pool. Dru’s mother Diane looked lovely.

There were so many people at the party that I could never remember everyone’s names.  A few of the partiers included Susan Nogues, Michelle Adams, Pete Sommers, Susan Wendel, Jimmie Ann Vaughan, Peggy and Glenn Van Blaricom, Brenda Bush, Lisa and J. J. Jackson and their daughter Trinity, Janice Baldridge, Deb and Adolph Viesel, Donna and Derek Van Gilder, Lynn Fisk, Deb Valvo and Cheryl McFerren.

Kay and Conor McAnally were there along with their friends, the Williams family, from Wales. Karl, Nerys, nine-year-old daughter Efa and seven-year-old son Cai were treated to a real, hot, Texas backyard party. Karl, a member of the North Wales Police Department, exchanged police hats, badges and shirts with our host.

Bob Rafferty and Nikki Richardson-Rafferty had the winning luau-themed costumes and took home a trophy and a party hat that had to be seen to be believed.

The Great Pecan Praline Pronunciation Debate

Libby Sartain wrote, People in Louisiana (who you and I know—know best) say puh-con and prawleen. People in Texas say pee-can and praaaa—lene. And most other places people use a variation of above, depending if they learned it from a Texan or a Louisianan.

Pecans are native to both Texas and Louisiana so I don’t know who would win the argument to claim ultimate rights on the pronunciations. But since pralines were invented in New Orleans…I think we can claim that one.

At church last Sunday, Karen Pinard and Therese Winske were both on the side of “puh con,” even for Texans. Therese said her mom told her the only people who say “pee can” are from up north. And from a four-footed pal came this, “Your pecan query prompted me to poll my paw pals. Responses came from a diverse group – there were yaps, woofs, arfs and even meows. The unanimous answer to how the paw crowd pronounces “pecan praline” is ‘YUMMY.’  Love and Hugs,Tsa-la (Charlie) Weddle.

My family at our reunion

OK, I won’t give you an in-depth description of each and every member of my immediate family, but I have included a picture. You can see for yourselves that they are gorgeous!  Everyone had a wonderful time. However, when one of my grandsons who has lived in California for almost six years got out of the car he said, “Oh, I remember, this humidity.”

Until next week

That’s all for now. Until next week, be good to yourself. Let me hear from you by e-mail at mooreaboutbastrop@ya
hoo.com so I can share the fun things that are going on in and around Bastrop. Remember: “A man’s (and a woman’s) true wealth is the good he (or she) does in the world.”  Mohammed