Experanzas adorn the front of Mary Ann McCracken’s San Leon home, which is made of Hill Country limestone. Photo by Kelsey Walling
Mary Ann and John McCracken’s San Leon property can’t help but stand out among the many Galveston Bay waterfront homes perched atop wood pilings and adorned in Key West color palettes. [Read more…]
Old-world recipes, handwritten in German on yellowed paper, coexist peacefully with Texas furnishings and décor in the Santa Fe home of Petra Faisst and Jeff Hinton. [Read more…]
A giant inflatable toucan named Chester floats in the pool at C.W. and Helen Jahn’s San Leon home. The Jahns are avid fans of birds. Photo by Stuart Villanueva
C.W. and Helen Jahn’s San Leon property is across the street from Galveston Bay, providing the couple with a partial view of the water from their upper deck. Yet, the water view isn’t the main attraction for the Jahns, who are avid fans of the green parrots that have been occupants of the area for many years. [Read more…]
Scott and Linda Sartorius relax by their 10,000-gallon koi pond in the backyard of their Clear Lake area home. Photo by Jennifer Reynolds
When Scott and Linda Sartorius decided to expand their Clear Lake area home nine years ago, it consumed half their backyard, leaving just the right amount of space to add a koi pond. Or, perhaps, a koi pool. [Read more…]
Colton Massey leaps from the top of a waterfall at the pool of his home in Clear Lake Shores. Photo by Stuart Villanueva
When 11-year-old Colton Massey jumps off the top of a 10-foot grotto into the family swimming pool, he’s in his element. [Read more…]
Laura Makris and husband, Alex, and their dog, Coco, spend time gardening and relaxing in the backyard of their island bungalow. Photo by Jennifer Reynolds
When Laura Makris was given two stalks of plumeria 18 years ago, little did she know the plants would become an obsession. [Read more…]
Ann Hunt has created a lush, relaxing landscape in her Dickinson backyard. Photo by Jennifer Reynolds
A first glance, Ann Hunt’s backyard in Dickinson is mind-boggling. [Read more…]
Donna Newding has spent countless hours creating a “cottage garden” in her backyard in Texas City. Photo by Stuart Villanueva
Donna Newding’s American elm tree spreads its limbs mightily over her Texas City backyard. Planted in 1952 by the previous homeowners, the tree has given her and her husband a lot of pleasure, but also some grief. [Read more…]
On a cold, wintry day, Joe Shulsky couldn’t help but worry about his yard. [Read more…]
Mark Fox swings in his San Leon backyard, which is a habitat for butterflies, birds and bees. Photo by Jennifer Reynolds
Forty years ago, Mark Fox had a one-man, lawn-mowing service in the Clear Lake area. His business consisted of a truck, a mower and a wheelbarrow. Because of his interest in botany and attraction to nature, Fox began to educate himself about anything and everything that had to do with native and habitat plants. [Read more…]