Blanco’s Historic Preservation Commission recommendation to preserve and maintain the character of the historic buildings and homes in Blanco is to use longer-lasting materials, and that should be a metal roof. The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards design guidelines is that a property in the historical district requires minimal change to its distinctive materials and historic character, and that includes all roofing materials.

AUSTIN — During the week before the Jan. 11 start of the 82nd session of the Texas Legislature, the question of who would be the next speaker of the state House of Representatives hung heavy in the air and seemed to drown out other issues. The normal procedure is for the 150-member House to choose a speaker on day one, right after roll call is taken, the oath of office administered, and House rules adopted.

Whether or not your home or building is in the Blanco Historic District, building permits are required if your property is within city limits. When you start a remodeling project inside the city limits, preparation and knowledge on your part of building permits, codes, and fees are essential and vital.

Last week I wrote about a time when I hesitated, for selfish reasons, to give assistance to a boy who was half frozen with the cold. In response, my brother, Jay, who lives in California, sent me the following note: “I had a similar experience many years ago in Torreon (Mexico) while traveling with Mom and Dad.

AUSTIN — Now that it’s 2011, eyes turn toward the state Capitol in earnest, as weighty tasks lay in store for the 82nd Texas Legislature convening January 11. Certain things are known going into this legislative session: 1. Because 2010 was a census year, Texas, thanks to its swelling population, will gain four seats in Congress and district boundaries must be redrawn to accommodate those seats.

During my senior year in high school at the Academia Juarez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, “the powers that be” scheduled a band and chorus trip through northern Mexico. I looked forward to the trip with great anticipation.

AUSTIN — Two Democratic state representatives, Allan Ritter of Nederland and Aaron Pena of Edinburg, last week announced they had joined the Republican Party. The addition of their seats gave the Republicans 100 seats — a two-thirds “supermajority” in the 150-seat Texas House. This creates for the GOP a procedural benefit in the upcoming legislative session that convenes Jan.

A Timeless Building Material, part 3 of 3. Last week learned that fixing the wood windows problems are not hard to fix. For decayed and rotted wood you can make repairs with a specialty epoxy penetrants called consolidants, replacing trim boards with a good hard lumber, applying primer and a good coat of paint.

We had grown into a major high school with almost 3,000 students—but our new gymnasium was still under construction. We were to play our cross-town rivals at home with the district basketball championship riding on the outcome. Our little gym, however, only held about 440 spectators—standing room only—and the head coach from the rival team insisted that we move the game either to his gym or to a neutral site.

AUSTIN — In order to address a projected state budget shortfall that could total more than $20 billion, state agencies must hunt for ways to make even deeper cuts. Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Joe Straus on Dec. 7 signed and sent a letter directing each state agency to identify an additional 2.5 percent that can be cut from their original general revenue and general-revenue-dedicated appropriations for the remainder of the 2011 fiscal year, which en ...

A Timeless Building Material – The second article in a series. Last week we learned that many remodelers, building owners, and homeowners are ripping out historic wood windows from old homes and historic structures. They have become the most vulnerable architectural elements of the historic buildings and historic homes. Historic wood windows were handmade, precise and the tolerances tight, there were no gaps in the joinery, and constructed of old-growth wood.

The army of the American colonies, of which George Washington had recently assumed command, was pathetic. The soldiers, for the most part, were armed with their own weapons and were without uniforms. They were ill prepared for the harsh realities of the winter of 1775-76. It was not unusual for sentries to freeze to death at their posts. Most of the recruits at that time were from New England.

AUSTIN — Reporters’ long-held practice of using dates of birth for fact checking before publication comes courtesy of the Texas Public Information Act -- the law that governs the release of data held by state agencies and other governmental bodies. The law currently includes no prohibition on the release of most state employees’ date of birth information.

I hadn’t seen Linda Robinson since we graduated from high school. I had taken her to the Junior Prom. I remember that night well because we almost got caught in a flood in the borrowed car I was driving. When I spotted her at a family gathering, we were both married and had families.

This column comes to you from the Eldorado Star Party where I'm enjoying the wonderfully dark skies of west Texas with nearly 200 other stargazers. Organized by volunteer amateur astronomers, the week-long event takes place every fall on the X-Bar Ranch Nature Retreat between the small towns of Eldorado and Sonora. ESP (www.texasstarparty.org/eldorado.html) is one of several annual, week-long star parties held in this part of ...