Makeover in a Day

A quick break from the local reviews...

After purchasing our first home about a year ago, Cody and I have been spending any ounce of spare time working on fixing it up -- decorating, renovating, remodeling, and mostly, landscaping. We are finally almost done with the seemingly never-ending checklist for creating some curb appeal. One of the last things was to give our worn and outdated front door an upgrade.

I had a difficult time deciding which color range would complement our pinky-orange brick (just delightful), until I found inspiration in one of my favorite colors.

The color is Behr's Cool Jazz, and the perfect bold choice to stand up against the bright brick on our home.

Cody provided the muscle for moving the ridiculously heavy front door onto sawhorses, and I did all the painting. I used liquid sandpaper to prep, Behr's exterior quality paint with primer, and a foam roller designed for doors and woodwork. If I could do it all over, I would probably select a similar color in a better quality paint brand like Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams. Even with the built-in primer, it took about four full coats of paint to avoid streaking. Also, the paint didn't have a lot of workability, so unless you can't paint like the wind (not a Pocahontas reference, I swear), an additive like Floetrol might be necessary to achieve a smooth application.

Overall, I'm really happy with the way it turned out and it took me all of one day to do. So, all in all, great success!

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Caldwell Zoo

One of my all-time favorite places in Tyler is the Caldwell Zoo. As a biology major, this only comes naturally, of course. But of all the zoos I've been to, including the San Diego Zoo, the Caldwell Zoo has a special place in my heart. Even though it boasts 85 acres, it still has that familiar small-town charm.

Founded in the 1950's by David King Caldwell, the Caldwell Zoo now features a variety of exhibits, with animals from many different habitats -- mainly the African Savanna, North America, and South America. It is home to some threatened and endangered species, and their conservation and education efforts are admirable. You can even donate your old cell phone at the zoo entrance to help fund the conservation efforts of the International Rhino Foundation.

Eyeballing my boyfriend like he was a tasty morsel.

The Caldwell Zoo is not your "typical zoo," with melancholy-looking animals and drab exhibits. It's a colorful, lively place with beautiful landscaping and habitats. It also has a petting zoo and a few interactive exhibits for kids (or, in our case, kiddish adults). It's not a small zoo, but it almost feels like it -- the animals feel close and when walking from habitat to habitat, one is immersed in a wilder world.

The Wild Bird Walkabout exhibit. You can buy seed sticks for $1.00, and trust me, those little guys love their seed sticks.

I highly recommend the Wild Bird Walkabout exhibit. Buy a seed stick, you'll trade that buck for an experience and a few guaranteed laughs. Actually, while we were in the midst of over 600 birds, a wild hawk landed on the fence just outside the aviary. As you can imagine, this ruffled quite a few feathers (pun intended), and as the "head cockatoo" sounded the alarm, all 600 parakeets and cockatiels took wing.

Just as they started to fly. Chaos ensued. It was awesome.

The Caldwell Zoo offers day camps and classes for kids of all ages, and it's a perfect summer day trip for anyone, though they are open all year. Admission is fairly inexpensive, and it's a great date alternative to seeing a movie (it's actually cheaper, too)!

If you live in East Texas and you haven't been to the Caldwell Zoo yet, or if you haven't been in a long time, go! Rediscover it and simple pleasures.

Caldwell Zoo

2203 Martin Luther King Blvd. Tyler, TX 75702
(903) 593-0121

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Hughes Plant Farm

Just off Highway 69, a few minutes outside Tyler, you'll notice a little sign for Hughes Plant Farm. It can be easy to miss if you aren't paying attention (we've accidentally passed it twice!), but it's a hidden gem.

With the onset of spring, it didn't take long for the phrase "Oh, I'll just get it at Hughes'" to come into my normal vocabulary, and for good reason, as the selection is unbeatable. Tyler has quite a few pop up nurseries around town, but Hughes Plant Farm is run by the sweetest elderly couple, on their own land, I believe, and it's huge. It's definitely not a place to make a quick trip.

Around Fall '13: all the azaleas, snapdragons, and pansies you could ever need.

They grow most of the plants on site, so the stock is constantly circulating. Though, if you happen to go around prime planting times in early spring and fall, you'll find the inventory wiped clean -- It's a popular place! The plants are always excellent quality, and any plant I've bought from Hughes has thrived in comparison to those I've bought from big box stores like Lowes or Home Depot.

They have many different varieties, in addition to the standard selection.

Hughes offers everything from landscape supplies and shrubs to hostas to annuals to perrenials, including some natives and drought-tolerant species. They even have a wide variety of vegetable plants and fruit trees at a fraction of the price you'd pay at a home-improvement store. Oh, and of course they offer roses.

The bougainvillea house is one of my favorites.

My one critique, as someone who likes to try new things, is that Hughes offers a limited supply of "exotic" plants and tends to stick with the tried-and-true East Texas favorites. I desperately wanted to try my hand at Old-Fashioned Bleeding Hearts and Astilbe when updating the landscaping on our 1950's ranch-style home, but they were nowhere to be found. I encountered the same problem when looking for some more colorful shade-tolerant plants. That, and Hughes only accepts cash or check, but it's a small business, I can't really fault them for that.

However, it's not a perfect world, and for the price and the quality, I really can't complain. If you are an avid gardener like myself, planning any landscape projects in the future, or just like to look at pretty things, go to Hughes. You really won't regret it.

Hughes Plant Farm

19980 Us Highway 69 S, Tyler, TX 75703

(903) 894-7737

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Making Introductions

Hello!

Welcome to Our Time in Tyler. Before we begin, let's cover a little background information:

Named for President John Tyler and nicknamed "Rose Capital of the World,"  Tyler, Texas has an estimated population of 107,405 as of 2014. (In local practice, the populations of surrounding small towns, the real small towns, are lumped in with Tyler's to effectively double the count.) Despite hosting three higher education institutions, Tyler is not a college town with a thriving nightlife. It is, for the most part, a retirement town and it typically does three things well: churches, hospitals, and roses. Tyler, regardless of size, has a pervading small-town feel, with charm and inconveniences alike.

That's where I come in: Kate, a listless 25-year-old college student. I've lived in a vast variety of places throughout my life, from Dallas to Seattle, Denver, and Orange County, before settling in Tyler to attend school near my family. After being in town for only one day, I went on my first date with my boyfriend Cody, and we've been together ever since. In only a few short years, we will be shipping off for my graduate school program (in who-knows-where), but for now, we've decided to do our best to explore our big small town.

So, in the days to come, I will be cataloging our best (and worst) experiences in Tyler and surrounding areas, whether it be at restaurants, shopping, outdoors -- you name it. Stay tuned!

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