bachanon

they seem to like ziegler cooper and gensler. i do not dislike the buildings going up on the waterway. i enjoy the subtle lines of the marriott hotel's exterior quite a bit. depending on where you are viewing the hotel, it's unusual vertical lines are constantly changing your perception of the structure. hopefully, in the future and perhaps with this boutique hotel, we will get a piece of architecture that garner's some attention.

i enjoyed all your photos. thanks.

the geological record along with astro physics are giving us greater details in the amount of time that things have been around. also, scripture states that "in the beginning, the earth was without form and void". the earth exists before the creation "days" begin. there are other scriptures i'm not familiar with that mention a time before mankind. the bible never states that the universe, or our solar system, began on the first day of creation. dr. ross explains the context of genesis 1:1 by carefully examining the translations it has come through in order to verify the intended meaning.

Dr. Hugh Ross' Website as a side note, c. s. lewis also became a christian after studying the world's religions and attempting to disprove them.

the architects and developer have not yet been announced. prices will come later.

ahhh, the late eighties. i didn't realize how bad crime was in montrose then. guess i was too naive.

independent fine dining establishments may start showing up on the periphery of town center or back, near sterling ridge or terramont. the indian springs complex will have three nice restaurants that will be the first of their kind. churrasco's is hardly a chain on the scale of landry's, so there may be more attention to detail.

congrats on the master's degree jmancuso.

i can always count on you red. yes, it is bad regardless of the color of the buyer. i think they are targeting historically poor communities with loose lending practices. on the banks......if the banks are not bilked by the amount of foreclosures then whomever is insuring the loans are. there is money flying around like nobody's business, it reminds me of the savings and loan debacle. deregulation of banking beget the savings and loan scandals. possibly, artificially low interest rates and incestuous mortgage/builder/title co. relationships have created a free for all. i not only had the conversation with one salesperson, i've purchased two homes in the last 10 years, had several non-business related interactions with builders/mortgage and title companies (usually in the same building, occasionally in the same office). these guys are pushing the limits of the law. there are mortgage companies coming from everywhere and out of nowhere with questionable lending practices. i'm being told that bad credit doesn't matter. income? we can work with that. if i say much more and someone who i've spoken to reads HAIF, i might feel some distance from certain folks in the future.

some of these projects are forestation projects. there will be no trimming or gardening. the weeds will die out when the trees are larger. it takes some patience, but the end result will be pleasing and cost less. it also allows for underbrush to grow creating great habitats for birds. our freeway system is too large to have perfectly trimmed bushes and annuals everywhere. it will take decades to realize the benefits of what's being done. also, decorative grasses (very expensive mind you) are growing in popularity because of the minimal care needed. some areas have these as well. xeriscaping techniques may be in effect for these projects as well. xeriscaping defined

churrasco's has signed a lease in town center.

i don't think the posters in this thread ever intended to completely exclude teens. for awhile, market street was becoming packed with teenagers who were dominating the scene after dark. the families were leaving and the teens were standing in groups blocking sidewalks, yelling, smoking and sneaking up to the parking garage to smoke pot. it wasn't a bunch of snooty adults whining about kids being present, it was families and couples who were being made to feel unwelcome by the throngs of teenagers. my most recent visits to market street have been completely pleasant. i think the problem has subsided. the groups of teenagers frequenting market street these days are well behaved. i think it would have worked itself out eventually without market street's new rules. it was "the place to see and be seen" in the younger teen set for awhile. after articles/opinions/blogs started coming out and kids were caught smoking pot on the roof of the parking lot among other things. the rowdies moved on. the kids who are well behaved stayed.

i think that niche is touching on a problem that has been discussed on other threads in the past. one of them being that builders of homes in the 80-120k range have targeted minorities and immigrants who've never owned a home before. i believe that there has been large scale manipulations of loan applications in order to barely approve at high interest rates people who cannot afford such homes. there are thousands of homes being built in spring and north of greenspoint. some of these neighborhoods have had residents for more than two or three years and there are still sheets in the windows, unfurnished rooms and unkept yards. i've seen only african americans, hispanic, asian and indian/pakistani people out and about in these neighborhoods and in the model homes. i was so much as told by a d.r.horton salesperson that my credit history or down payment didn't matter. she said they had several options available and once financed i could rent it out if i didn't want to live in it. (i had discussed that i didn't want to sell in the woodlands). most "teaser" type of financing requires that you reside in the property you mortgage. a larger deposit is usually required for an investor. i left with the impression that i could instigate the building and purchase of as many homes as i wanted over a period of time and become a slum lord in the process. these builders are bilking banks in order to sell to unqualified buyers and making a killing in the process. they are selling the "american dream" in a fraudulent way to people who simply want a nicer place to live and it's going to bite all of us in the ass. they are marketing to minority and immigrant communities because they know they can get away with it. i know that for many, this cheap/easy money (for the builder) is an opportunity of a lifetime and many will use it to the best advantage. however, many who've been sucked in to the sales person's "we have a lot of options" schtick, and further mesmerized by the model home with 35K in upgrades, will be learning a difficult lesson at great expense. in the coming years, when stories begin to come up in the press, you can say you knew it all along. my intention for this rant is not to denigrate the buyers of these homes, but to illustrate that some builders, finance companies and sales people are capitalizing on the human desire to improve one's place in the world without regard for the applicants true ability to pay and maintain their purchase. one more point. simply seeing african americans on foot in a neighborhood does not make it urban. i had words with a church goer once who was so proud of their "urban" bus ministry in CONROE, TX. she felt that because they were bringing kids in from the black community for saturday bus church that it was an "urban" ministry. she never understood why i didn't think they should be publicly calling it an "urban" ministry.

now this really piques my interest.

let's not forget the "pristine" west coast. it is my understanding that there are restrictions on drilling off the coast of california, oregon and/or washington for purely aesthetic and fearful reasons. do we drill anywhere along the west coast?

yes, the waltrip car was my favorite too. i believe they may have raised the bar for what is considered an art car.

Always offering the very latest, The Woodlands Mall recently welcomed five new, sought-after retailers to the shopping center. Additionally, a number of retailers have been moving to new locations and improving shopping environments for visitors. Recent additions to the list of retailers include: Oil & Vinegar, described as a fashion food for food, opened earlier this year on the lower level near the Courtyard Shops. A fun shopping experience for the novice or the gourmet cook, the shelves at Oil & Vinegar are filled with treats such as Italian white truffle oil, raspberry vinegar, pastas, relish, dip and more. Sona MedSpa, a nationally known luxury spa recently opened in the office component of the shopping center. Sona provides laser hair removal and anti-aging services. The Woodlands Mall is only the second Houston location for one of the nation

Waterway development continues in Town Center More business, restaurant space planned for hub of Woodlands By BETH KUHLES Chronicle Correspondent The Woodlands unveiled its plans for the crown jewel of the Woodlands Waterway

that palm tree in the picture cracks me up. palm trees are a pet peeve of mine, especially in a pine forest. i guess you need a token palm tree for a floridian style home built in the midst of pine trees. i see this palm tree fixation in all the "upscale" neighborhoods on the north side. i'm disappointed to see that the new "green" development discussed in another thread being built in the indian springs village has palm trees as a landscaping/design element. why not river birch or cypress trees?

butera's charlie's 517 cafe annie one's a meal whole foods yup, that was me. actually, i went to charlie's 517 and cafe annie only once during the eighties for special occasions. i loved butera's chicken salad. is the montrose location still there? i drive by all the time and haven't noticed. (i'm always staring at museum tower.)

mexamerican_moose is about to get dogpiled. however, i agree. ohhhpp! look out!!!

i just looked at the site plan for the park at prince. the developer should have eliminated four units for a park/courtyard in the middle. if i were shopping for an inner loop home/townhome, the first units that would interest me would not be in the middle of a cavern of other structures. even if it is high-density, people need "wiggle" room. maybe i just feel claustrophobic in rows of 3-4 story townhomes? personally, i wouldn't buy there.

maybe he means legal to imbibe adult beverages.

i was thinking about all the graduations going on this weekend and it brought to memory a piece by baz luhrman called "everybody's free (to wear sunscreen)". baz luhrman was behind moulin rouge w/nicole kidman and romeo and juliet w/dicaprio and danes. i thought the words might be relevant for any graduating HAIFers, or those of us still trying to figure out our place in the world. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now. Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh never mind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you cant grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You're not as fat as you imagine. Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday. Do one thing everyday that scares you. Sing. Don't be reckless with other peoples hearts, don't put up with people who are reckless with yours. Floss. Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long, and in the end, its only with yourself. Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements. Stretch. Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life, the most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don't. Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone. Maybe you'll marry, maybe you wont, maybe you'll have children, maybe you wont, maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. What ever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's. Enjoy your body, use it every way you can don't be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, its the greatest instrument you'll ever own. Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room. Read the directions, even if you don't follow them. Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly. Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young. Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel. Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders. Respect your elders. Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out. Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85. Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth. But trust me on the sunscreen. Lyrics from Baz Luhrmann's "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen).

it's a political "point". it's an off year election.