Discover Spring Texas
Tips on navigating our local roads
June 27th, 2009 categories: Discover Spring Texas
One of the toughest things about moving to a new area has to be figuring out how to get around. A GPS can certainly help you find your way but there are some things that the GPS does not know. These are the things that only the locals who travel the Spring Texas roads day in and day out know.
To help you find your way, I am going to share with you my tips on navigating our roads. Hopefully they will make your transition to the Spring Texas area just a little easier.
1. Not all roads go through. Ella and T.C. Jester, two main North - South routes, stop at various points and then pick up again. Ella stops South of Cypress Creek and picks up again North of Cypress Creek. T.C. Jester stops South of Spring Cypress and picks up again North of Spring Cypress.
2. The shortest distance between two points is not always the fastest. If you are wanting to get from FM 1960 and I45 to FM 1960 and 290 a map would indicate the shortest distance would be to travel west across FM1960. Is it the shortest distance? Yes. Is it the quickest route? No.
The drive across FM 1960 is filled with stop light after stop light. A quicker route is to drive I45 South to the Beltway, take the Beltway West to 290, and then take 290 North to FM 1960.
3. Avoid delays get an EZ Tag. Some day you will want to travel on one of the area toll roads. Before that day arrives do yourself a favor and get an EZ Tag. The EZ Tag gives you the power to go whizzing by while avoiding the long wait in line to pay the toll. Plus with the toll charge being less for EZ Tag users, the EZ Tag will save you time and money.
4. Highways have more than one name. Adding to the confusion of navigating around the area is same road or highway having numerous names. Such as the outermost loop around downtown Houston is known as the Beltway, Beltway 8, Sam Houston toll way, and the Sam Houston Parkway. I45 North is also known as the North Freeway. U.S. 290 is known as the Northwest Freeway. The innermost loop around downtown Houston is known as the Loop or the 610 Loop.
5. Learn the major East - West and North - South thoroughfares. The major North - South roads are I45, Kuykendahl, Stuebner Airline/Veterans Memorial, Champion Forest, and 249. The major East - West routes are FM 1960, Cypresswood, Louetta, Spring Cypress, and FM 2920.
What’s the FM in FM 1960 and FM 2920 stand for? The FM is an abbreviation for Farm-to-Market. These were the roads the farmers traveled to deliver their goods to market.
Read also: Moving to Spring Texas? 10 Things you need to know
Click here or on the image of the map of Spring Texas for a closer look at our area roads.
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Who has the lowest prices on groceries?
June 25th, 2009 categories: Shopping
One of the things I like about living in Spring Texas is the convenience. In this case, it is the convenience of having numerous grocery stores nearby. Located within 15 minutes of my home are a Walmart Supercenter, Kroger, HEB, Randalls, and a Super Target. A great selection of stores to choose from to do my grocery shopping.
But with so many choices which grocery store has the lowest prices on groceries? To answer this question, I decided to do a cost comparison of grocery items that on a regular basis wind up in my cart. Below are the five items I decided to compare prices from the three grocery stores I frequently shop at.
On some of the items such as the Vinaigrette salad dressing there was not a significant difference in price. But look at the price difference in the Lipton Green Tea. Kroger’s price was 43% higher and HEB’s price was 31% higher than Walmart’s price.
Who has the lowest prices on groceries in Spring Texas? For my shopping items, the answer is Walmart. These days grocery shopping requires a strategy and this is mine for everyday items I shop at Walmart because on a consistent basis their grocery prices are lower. I still grocery shop at HEB and Kroger but for different things and different reasons.
If I have to get in and out of the grocery store quickly I go to HEB and not Walmart. Walmart has some of the longest lines especially on Saturdays and Sundays. For fresh produce I shop at HEB and Krogers. If neither store has the produce I want as an advertised weekly special, I shop at HEB because I have found their produce to be the freshest. I also shop at HEB and Krogers for their weekly special items because these items are usually cheaper than at Walmart.
If you want to know the locations of the Spring Texas grocery stores, you can access the Google Map I made.
Read also:
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Where to get fresh locally grown produce
June 17th, 2009 categories: Discover Spring Texas, Shopping
One of the things I like best about Summer is eating home-grown fresh from the farm tomatoes. The tomatoes are nice and juicy, full of flavor, and taste just the way tomatoes should taste.
But since my parents live in Illinois and not Spring Texas, I can’t quickly stop by and swipe a few tomatoes from their garden for my BLT sandwich. Instead I have to get my home-grown produce from local farm stands. Luckily there are several farm stands within a few miles of my Spring Texas home where I can purchase not only tomatoes but lots of other great produce including squash, new potatoes, greens, okra, cucumbers, corn, tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers, 1015 onions, watermelons, honey dew melons, cantaloupe, beets, cabbage, mustard greens, peaches, and blackberries.
If you like farm fresh produce as much as I do then stop by one of the farm stands below and enjoy the difference in taste provided by fresh from the farm produce.
Atkinson Farms is located at 3217 Spring Cypress Spring TX 77388. Their operating hours are Monday - Saturday 10 am - 6 pm and Sunday 10 am - 2 pm. To find out what’s in season give them a call at 832.381.8202 or better yet send them an email at atkinsonfarming@aol.com and they will send you periodic picking reports. The Atkinson’s may be new to running a farm stand since they are only in their fifth year but they are not new to farming as they are third generation farmers.
Theiss Farms Market is located at 17045 Stuebner Airline Spring TX 77379. Their hours of operation are Monday - Friday 9 am - 6:30 pm; Saturday 9 am - 6 pm and Sunday 10 am - 5 pm. They can be reached at 281.370. FARM (3276). For over 158 years the Theiss family has been producing vegetables in Harris County and selling its produce to the people of the community. During the summer, the sweet corn is picked and delivered daily to the Theiss Farms Market providing their customers with the freshest sweet corn possible.
Mittelstaedt’s is located at 19403 Stuebner Airline Spring TX 77379. The farm stand is open Monday - Saturday 9 am - 6 pm and on Sunday 10 am - 4 pm. They can be reached at 281.370.5529.
Kieschnick Farms is located at 5702 Spring Cypress Spring TX 77379. Their hours of operation are Monday - Friday 9:30 am - 6 pm; Saturday 9:30 am - 5 pm and Sunday 10 am - 3 pm.
Neal’s Berry Farm and Farmer’s Market is located at 24527 Gosling Road Spring TX 77389. Their hours of operation are Monday - Saturday 9 am - 7 pm and Sunday 12 - 8 pm. They can be reached at 281.516.0055. Not to be missed is Neal’s Berry Farm where you can pick your own blackberries from their 3 acre patch.
Some of these farm stands are a little hard to find so I created a map of Spring Texas Farm Stands to make it easy for you to find them. Photo taken of cherry tomatoes at Atkinson Farms.
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FREE FOOD at Chipotle
June 12th, 2009 categories: Dining and Entertainment
The new Chipotle restaurant at 10905 Louetta on the North side of HEB Vintage Market is getting ready for its grand opening on June 19th, 2009.
As a business promotion and to introduce itself to the community Chipotle is going to give away FREE FOOD on June 17th. The particulars on the FREE FOOD are an entree, chips, and a drink for everyone that stops by on June 17th from 11 am to 7 pm.
Chipotle’s FREE FOOD promotion sounds like a great way to introduce its products to the people. But wait didn’t another company have a similar promotion recently that back fired?
Yes. That’s right. Just last month to introduce its new grilled chicken KFC ran a FREE FOOD promotion on the Oprah Winfrey show. The only problem was the demand was much greater than KFC had anticipated and they stopped accepting the coupon for the FREE FOOD. The promotion turned into a PR nightmare for KFC.
On two separate occasions, Rick and I went to a local KFC restaurant in Spring Texas to redeem our coupon for FREE FOOD and on both occasions we left hungry. On the first visit we were told the wait was over one hour so we left. On our second visit we were told due to overwhelming demand KFC was no longer accepting the coupon. Again we left without any FREE FOOD and we have not been back since.
Our Spring Texas Real Estate blog is not nearly as popular as the Oprah Winfrey Show so I figure it is safe to spread the word about Chipotle’s FREE FOOD promotion. But if due to overwhelming demand you don’t receive any free food, please still use our real estate services and don’t boycott us.
As for Rick and I, we are going to wait a couple of weeks before visiting Chipotle’s new restaurant and when we do visit we will just pay for our food. So there will be no FREE FOOD for us this time. Wait a minute, come to think of it we didn’t get any FREE FOOD at the last FREE FOOD promotion either.
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Schools Out, Summer Fun Begins
June 5th, 2009 categories: Discover Spring Texas, Events and Activities
The end of the school year has arrived for our Spring Texas area schools and now the kids are ready to have some Summer fun. Our area has lots of great places and ways for kids to enjoy the outdoors including numerous activities within their own subdivisions.
The majority of our Spring Texas Neighborhoods have their own private community parks, playgrounds, swimming pools, and some even have lakes for catch and release fishing. If the kids are looking to venture out a little further beyond their own subdivision a great way to enjoy a Summer day is at the SplashTown Water Park located at I45 and Louetta in Spring.
Don’t forget about our wonderful public park system including Collins Park and its extensive playground equipment, basketball courts, and skate park and Meyer Park with its paved and non-paved trails, playground equipment, soccer fields, 3 acre lake for catch and release fishing, and duck pond.
A great way to end a Summer day is with a Sno-Cone from one of the many Sno-Cone stands located on Louetta or an Ice Cream Cone at Oscar’s Creamery or Brusters. No matter what you do get out and enjoy the Summer because it will leave just as quickly as it arrived.
Photo is of the Splash pad in the WindRose subdivision.
Read also: Average Temperatures in Spring Texas
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Crape Myrtles in Bloom!
May 26th, 2009 categories: Discover Spring Texas
The Crape Myrtle, designated the official State shrub of Texas in 1997, is in bloom!! Crape Myrtles bloom from early May to late October and range in color from white to pink to red to purple to lavender. You will find numerous Crape Myrtles dotting the Spring Texas landscape. They are extremely popular due to the summer long color they provide and their easy care. Even amateur gardeners, such as myself, have been able to keep them alive and growing.
Photo taken of the Crape Myrtles gracing the banks of the 4+ acre lake at Louetta Lakes in Spring Texas
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Under Construction
May 13th, 2009 categories: Shopping
Recently when my husband, Rick Ratchford and I were at Cheddars for dinner we ran into Chuck and Elizabeth Lalonde, past clients and avid readers of our Spring Texas real estate blog. Chuck asked if I knew what was under construction at Spring Cypress and FM 2920 and I said yes a HEB grocery store is going in at that location. Chuck then inquired as to why I had not written about it on our blog. So Chuck this post is for you.
Dirt’s a moving and dusts a flying between Spring Cypress and FM 2920 in Spring Texas as the ground is being readied for a HEB grocery store. Currently the closest HEB to I45 and Louetta is about a 15 minute drive west down Louetta to the corner of Stuebner Airline and Louetta.
Fifteen minutes is not a long drive but I, like a lot of other people, love convenience. This HEB will be located a mere 5 minutes from my Spring Texas home.
I don’t have any details on the projected opening day of the HEB but I can tell you whenever opening day is I will be there. I like going to a store’s or restaurant’s opening day. I know I could wait for the crowds to die down before going but what fun is that. Besides after watching the many months of construction my curiosity has been peeked and it needs to be satisfied.
Oh by the way, the Cheddars I mentioned it was opening night when we went. The Cheddars is located on the access road at the Northwest corner of I45 and Louetta. I had the Texas cheese fries which I am sure must have a gazillion calories. Even with the calorie count I would order them again because they were delicious!
If you have a topic you would like me to write a post about send me an email or leave your suggestion in the comments section of this post. Thanks for reading and the post suggestion, Chuck and Elizabeth.
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My Arch Enemy - Fire Ants
May 1st, 2009 categories: Discover Spring Texas
The annual battle between me and my arch enemy, the Fire Ants has begun. To the winner of the battle goes control over my Spring Texas yard and to the loser goes either death or at least immense pain followed by swelling and severe itching.
Back in March I made my first move and applied Over n’ Out Fire Ant killer on my yard. Today the Fire Ants retatilated with a vicious and unsuspecting attack.
There I was standing in my landscape bed neatly trimming the shrubbery when all of a sudden I felt a sharp, stinging pain on my foot, and then another and another and another. I looked down and noticed I was surrounded by Fire Ants.
When I was minding my own business, the Fire Ants had snuck up on me. Either that or I unknowingly stepped on one of their mounds. Either way it was too late. The Fire Ants had made their attack and it was a strong attack. 
I quickly retreated into my house to treat my wounds. On the kitchen floor I sat applying anti-itch first aid creme to my feet while watching them swell and cursing the bloody Fire Ants underneath my breath.
After I was able to regain my composure, I sent my best man, Rick into battle to spot treat the scene of the attack. Today’s victory in battle goes to the Fire Ants as I will be favoring my wounds for a couple of days. But the war is not over as there will be new battles to fight and with Fire Ant spot treatment in my arensal and a watchful eye I will be victorious. I will win control of my Spring Texas yard.
Read also: Moving to Spring Texas? 10 Things you need to know. Fire Ants is #5 on the list.
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Spring TX weather - Blue Skies or Gray Skies?
April 27th, 2009 categories: Discover Spring Texas
If you live in Spring Texas you will be treated to plenty of blue skies and sunshine. Just how many days of sunshine? 207 days of sunshine which is more than 56% of the days in the year.
How much rain does the Spring Texas sky deliver on the other 44% of the days in the year?
According to weather.com, Spring Texas receives 48 inches per year. The U.S. average rainfall is 37 inches per year.
Producing an average of 5.35 inches June would be considered our umbrella month which is closely followed by May at 5.15 inches. The driest month in Spring Texas is February with 2.98 inches of rain.
Don’t worry if your house hunting trip coincides with a rainy month because Rick and I show Spring Texas homes in all weather conditions, rain or shine. Plus we carry extra umbrellas in our cars just in case you need one.
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Annual Easter Bunny Event
April 12th, 2009 categories: Events and Activities
Yesterday the Oaks of Devonshire HOA hosted their annual Easter Bunny Event for the homeowners of Devonshire Woods, Louetta Lakes, and the Oaks of Devonshire.
The neighborhood kids came out for the event with their Easter baskets in hand and wearing their Easter finery. The kids had a great time hunting eggs and getting their pictures taken with the Easter Bunny.
For the last five years I have been donning the Easter Bunny costume for the event. I felt a little awkward the first year I was the Easter Bunny but the awkwardness immediately went away as soon as the kids came running to give me (A.K.A… the Easter Bunny) a big hug. The Easter Bunny Event has become one of my favorite days of the year as I receive more hugs on this day than any other day of the year.
Usually I take the majority of the photos for our Spring Texas Real Estate Blog but not on this occasion as I was in the bunny suit. Instead the photo credit goes to Rick Ratchford, my husband and fellow Spring Texas Real Estate Agent, who found time to snap a few shots in between handing out candy to the neighborhood kids and eating a few pieces of candy himself.
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