Dan:

Read & Look // I am one of the lucky ones that came out unharmed by Harvey. Last week on Thursday, as I was working in Baton Rouge I was monitoring the hurricane and made a decision to leave on an early flight back to Houston. I wanted to prepare for the storm and stock up on supplies for the worst. By Friday my family was fully prepared for a few days of rain and winds. We hunkered down in our home near downtown Houston and watched Hurricane Harvey hit Corpus Christi on the television.

Then Saturday night the storm hit us and brought the unthinkable. By Sunday morning after all the tornado and flash flood warnings, we saw the damage firsthand. We live less than 1000 feet south of I-10, and it had turned into a river. The Buffalo Bayou is not that far south of us, and it had risen to unimaginable levels. Memorial Drive was a river, as was most of the surrounding streets. We were trapped, yet had water only up to our garage. For the next few days we had to stay inside as the rain continued, and was up at all hours of the night monitoring our surroundings. I was never as scared in my life, as I had to protect my family and little Maddie our 18 month baby girl.

As chaos and disaster happened all around us, we stayed safe and prayed. By Monday evening, we decided when it was safe to travel, we were going to get Maddie the hell out of there. My wife was going to stay behind to help work emergency shifts at Memorial Hermann, and my task was to get Maddie to my parents’ home in New Braunfels.

On Tuesday all morning I was watching the news and road cameras, while we packed the car full of our travel baggage. At noon, I-10 westbound opened and I saw my opportunity for safe travel as the Brazos River had receded, and Katy was safe to travel through to the west. We loaded Maddie up in the SUV, and I cautiously took off.

As I drove, there was still low water on parts of the highway. But, I made good decisions and only kept going as it was safe to do so. We saw helicopters, emergency crews, police, National Guard, etc. in action. It was surreal. All the standing water on each side of the interstate was frightening. But, we were the lucky ones and by the time we made it past the Brazos River, all was clear. Little Maddie sat in the backseat in silence and watched out the window, and I think she could feel my anxiety start to fade. She closed her eyes when we were past the Brazos River, and slept the whole rest of the way to my parents house.

I called Jess (my wife) once we were in New Braunfels, and she had made it to the hospital safely. We counted our blessings. Our power stayed on, and our house stayed dry. Nathan (my teenage stepson) and Taco (the family doggie) stayed to take care of the house in Houston and were fine.

I never want to experience something like that again. Not all my friends or people in or around Houston were as lucky as us. Needless to say I don’t have anything to write about for the Read or Look section on this post. Let’s just hope and help all the other people out there in Texas that were not as fortunate as us to get the relief they need.

Devour // We had stocked up on one of my favorite brews before the hurricane, Abita Andygator. It is a super smooth, and slightly sweet beer with a high ABV. Every time I drink it I will remember sitting in the family room with Jess, Nathan, Maddie , and Taco watching the news updates. I sipped on this beer at these times while we waited out the storm and it was safe to do so at our house. Andygator will always have a special place and be a special brew for me that will last a lifetime.

Michael:

Read // Andrew Winnegar, a local 93 year-old WWII vet, was awarded a long-overdue distinguished flying cross medal at the Silent Wings Museum. Congratulations, sir, and thank you.

Look // Houston has been dealt a heavy blow. This is where the Rednecks with Paychecks come to the rescue with their super-lifted offroad trucks and restored army vehicles to wade the waters and help people and equipment get back to higher ground. I had never heard of these guys until someone shared one of their videos on Facebook, and it is a sight to see these vehicles in action.

Devour // This past weekend was the 2nd annual Hub City on Tap beer festival out at the fairgrounds. It was even bigger than last year, which means they had to expand to a second building. We were treated to some great music by The Forty Thieves and Ronnie Eaton while sampling all sorts of beers, many from Texas. Here were a few of my favorites that I would highly recommend (in no particular order):

1. The Plains Brew Co. – This is made locally right here in Lubbock and is an excellent amber. Brewer/Owner Micky Minter was recently on the Chad Hasty Show discussing his new venture. We’ve also interviewed him here at Staking the Plains. Six pack cans are currently in stock at Ollie’s and University Liquor and are now available for purchase in the suites at the Jones.
2. Four Courners Brewing – El Chingon IPA
3. St. Arnold – Raspberry AF & Bishops Barrel
4. Community – Mosaic IPA
5. Texas Ale Project – Something Shady Porter

Kyle:

Read // With the start of football season officially underway I’ve got to recommend picking up a copy of of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Review. Growing up all of my friends waited all summer for the magazine to publish and once it did we poured through the entire thing looking for players that we knew along with the college previews. Once I was in high school it was an even bigger deal to see who made the magazine from the school, it really was a badge of honor to even be listed in the magazine. If you haven’t picked up a copy it’s worth grabbing one to see which players in your area might be worth watching.

Look // The obvious thing to watch this weekend is football. I’ve got a whole weekend of football planned out. Friday we’ll be headed out to watch a high school football game. Saturday and Sunday are the payoff for months of no college football. We are all blessed with a brand new football season full of hope. I’m looking forward to what will hopefully be the first of many Tech wins for the season.

Devour // If you’re interested in a really good burger take yourself to the closest Grub Burger Bar. My personal favorite is the Mac and Cheese burger, it’s amazingly cheesy and enough to fulfill the biggest craving or appetite. If you’re a big fan of bbq burgers the Lockhart Legend is the burger for you! No matter what you try you really can’t wrong. With a strong shake game and a decent selection of beer give Grub Burger a try if there is one near you.

Seth:

Read // An obituary. From the New York Times, comes the obituary of jeannie Roussea de Clarens who really knew nothing about rockets, but had a photographic memory and a spy for the British during World War II:

Jeannie de Clarens, an amateur spy who passed a wealth of information to the British about the development of the V-1 and V-2 rockets during World War II and survived stays in three concentration camps for her activities, died on Aug. 23 in Montaigu, southeast of Nantes, France. She was 98.

Look // Repairing Trigger.

Devour // I finished off my one-off beer series with one of the better high alcohol content beers that makes me feel like I’m drinking carbonated whiskey rather than beer. But sweeter. This sucker has 16% ABV which pretty much doubles anything that I’m typically drinking but it was delicious. Most of these these beers that I’ve had haven’t had hardly any head, but this Avery did have a nice head and a really smooth taste. Very good.

This is good and very strong. Oh, the things we do for Read, Look, Devour. pic.twitter.com/xvcpwcJxnE

— Seth Jungman (@SethC_J) August 30, 2017

Avery brewing the beast grand cru ale