By BRANDY CRUZ | Courtesy photos Clouds may have threatened to hide the celestial event of the year, but the skies over Central Texas gave one show-stopping performance during the Great American Solar Eclipse. “The clouds kind of came in right before (totality) and we thought it wasn’t gonna show, but then it happened,” Thiago Scofield said excitedly. “It was crazy!”  Photo by Samantha Wittman The Scofield family – Jeff, Terra, Thiago and Hailey – made the two and a half hour journey from Cypress to Temple to see the eclipse. Although they didn’t know the area very well, they knew Buc-ee ..read more

Outdoor kitchens, drought-tolerant landscaping, putting greens and patio family rooms are part of outdoor trends By DAVID STONE | Photos by SKEEBO A party-ready backyard used to include swing sets, a barbecue grill, picnic tables and perhaps a swimming pool. My, how times have changed. Today’s homebuyers are looking to get a lot more bang out of the backyard buck, and today’s hot properties often include full outdoor kitchens and living spaces, putting greens, water features, color wheel lighting and drought-resistant landscaping. “We are absolutely getting a lot of calls for elaborate backyar ..read more

Home gyms, safe rooms are popular add-ons By DAVID STONE | Photos by WES ALBANESE and courtesy of JENNY WALLACE Many of today’s homebuyers want more than just the basics — many are customizing their new digs with double ovens, mudrooms, craft rooms and built-in dog water bowls. The most requested custom add-ons are safe rooms to protect against intruders, outdoor kitchens, secret rooms and home gyms. “We’re seeing a lot of requests for accent walls — wood that has different, cool shapes,” Emily Marin of Flintrock Builders said. “It’s similar to ornate crown molding but on the walls. Some want ..read more

Temple High School BBQ Team enjoys recipe for success By TONYA WARREN | Photos courtesy of ERIC LARSON, Temple ISD Junior Reece Medrano and senior Jordan Magana return for The Pitmasters’ second year of competition. There are some local wildcats on the prowl that are focused and hungry. Although they move stealthily through the area with focus and fortitude, you don’t have to worry about hiding your children and small pets. These young wildcats have tasted success, not with people or pets, but success that comes from hard work and winning high school barbecue competitions. Temple High School f ..read more

By DAVID STONE | Photos courtesy of REVOL GREENS A 20-acre greenhouse just south of Heidenheimer is producing five varieties of lettuce, several mixed greens products and four organic salad kits — Greenhouse Caesar, Southwest Baja, Sesame Ginger and Sweet Poppyseed. So which of the tasty freshly grown products are the most popular? According to Jess Dillon, marketing director for Austin-based Revol Greens, it depends on who you ask. “We all have our favorites,” she said with a smile. “Our most popular salad blend is our Organic Spring Mix, and our most popular salad kit is our Organic Greenhou ..read more

By RACHEL STRICKLAND | Photos courtesy of MARIA’S PLACE Copperas Cove is known for its friendly, small-town atmosphere. Even though it has more than 37,000 residents, the city somehow maintains the feeling that everyone knows everyone. This is partially due to the locally owned businesses, such as Maria’s Place, a restaurant that focuses on comfort food made from scratch. Previously known as Something in Between, Maria’s Place is a cozy restaurant in the Cove Terrace Shopping Center. It was founded by Copperas Cove-native Kyle Kinder, but due to changes in circumstances, he sold it to two loya ..read more

By BRANDY CRUZ | Photos by BRANDY CRUZ and courtesy photos As the U.S. prepares for the Great American Eclipse, Central Texas is poised for the best view of the rare celestial event. The next total eclipse in North America will not happen until 2044, so seeing it now, with the expansive skies and varied landscapes of Central Texas may be your best bet of witnessing it in your lifetime. According to climate researchers at the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies, Texas is the best place to view the eclipse in the United States due to the estimated lack of clouds covering t ..read more

Transport yourself with three fantastic series By M. CLARE HAEFNER | Covers courtesy of the publishers It is easy to get lost in the adventures of Corayne an-Amarat and her companions in Victoria Aveyard’s Realm Breaker trilogy as they battle darkness to prevent What Waits from consuming Allward. A fan of Aveyard since her debut young adult Red Queen series, the Realm Breaker trilogy — Realm Breaker, Blade Breaker and Fate Breaker — shows her growth as a storyteller with another thrilling fantasy adventure. Corayne, who is the daughter of a pirate and the Cor blood heir, and her six companions ..read more

Woman strives to save the lives of man’s best friend By AMY ROGNLIE | Photos courtesy of LISA KATHAN Lisa Kathan has been rescuing animals all her life. She began rescuing horses as a teenager and has since moved on to rescuing medically vulnerable dogs. In 2013, Kathan founded Pearl’s Place in Temple. “Our mission is to help dogs in worst-case scenarios from shelters or in cases of abandonment. Many of the shelter dogs are in line for euthanasia, maybe having gunshot wounds, burns, broken bones, or having been hit by a car and are flagged as ‘urgent.’ These overlooked and sometimes forgotten ..read more

By AMY ROGNLIE | Photos courtesy of MARGARET CHADWICK “The nursery is not really the focus. The people are,” said Margaret Chadwick, Eldred’s Nursery founder and board president. Teaching Bell County communities about both compassion and native plants, Eldred’s Nursery in Belton is not your average garden center. Besides being the only nursery in the area to focus on plants that are native or adaptive to Central Texas, the nonprofit nursery provides a job training facility for persons with special needs in Bell County, and also allows community-based opportunities such as communication, social ..read more