The Sounding of Two Canons

 Girls Night Out Preview Party

Midland Center

February 25 6-10 p.m.

Appetizers, Drinks, and Silent Auction

Ladies Luncheon

Hilton Grand Ballroom

February 26, 11:30 a.m.

Featuring Speaker Emory Austin

The Princess Tea

Hilton Grand Ballroom

February 27, 10:30 a.m.

Featuring a performance by Midland Festival Ballet 

Shopping

Friday, February 26 - Time: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Price: $5.00

Saturday, February 27^th - Time: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Price: $5.00

Sunday, February 28^th - Time: Noon - 4:00 p.m., Price: $5.00

More info at: http://www.jlweb.org/midland/npo.jsp?pg=home

Nothing to do in Midland tonight?  Looking for something to do?  Spend a night at the Ballet in Downtown Midland! 

One day Chris calls me and says, Cory, I went to the best place for lunch today.  It must be new, just waiting to be discovered, you have to go!  So I went with a friend a couple of days later, and he was RIGHT.  The food was delicious.  It is a mom-and-pop family restaurant, owned by a married couple, and the place was very friendly, clean, open and inviting.  The service was great, and I could not believe we hadn’t eaten there before!  After all, it was right by Downtown Midland, very near the Taste of Chicago. 

As I was checking out, I asked the owners how long they had been open.  Two years.  That’s right, open two years, so no this is not a brand new restaurant that we have “discovered.”  Oh well.  Just in case there are more of you out there who have never heard of it, we highly recommend you try the original home-style cooking.  I recommend the chicken fajitas, Chris recommends the nachos, and my father-in-law likes the smothered burrito, for what it’s worth (we didn’t say it was health food).  Enjoy.  C&C

Don Victor Tacos

310 South Terrell Street Midland, TX 79701-5353 - (432) 218-9155

Both of us are animal lovers, and 2 out of 3 of our dogs are rescue dogs, so we were very concerned when we heard that the Midland SPCA is danger of closing.  For those who are not familiar, the Midland SPCA is a no-kill shelter which has given homes to the homeless pet population in Midland for 62 years.  As you may have heard, or read in the paper, without money donations, adoptions, and/or supplies, there is a real chance they may have to shut their doors forever. 
 
We spoke to an employee of the Midland SPCA yesterday who told us they have been receiving donations, and that if they continue to do so there is a good chance the shelter may be able to remain open.  For those of you who are interested in helping, by making a donation or adopting a pet, the information is below.  It is our hope that the shelter will not shut down; but if it does, we really hope that Lone Star SPCA or private citizens will step in to save the homeless animals that are currently in their care.  For more information, please see below, or call the Midland SPCA at 684-7582.   
 
DONATION INFORMATION: Donations can be made (1) on the website through Pay Pal, (2) by mail, or (3) by going by the shelter.    ONLINE: http://www.midlandspca.net/  Click “DONATE”
Please mail donations to: Midland SPCA, 2701 South County Road 1206, Midland, Texas 79706 
 
Midland SPCA works to keep its doors open
http://surveys.relevantview.com/sbox/asandboxdev.sbt/928454,2694,12,1,0/http/www.mywesttexas.com/articles/2010/02/10/news/top_stories/midland_spca_dogs_midland_animal_services.txt
Midland SPCA desperately needs financial assistance - Letter to the Editor Sunday February 14th
http://surveys.relevantview.com/sbox/asandboxdev.sbt/928454,2694,12,1,0/http/www.mywesttexas.com/articles/2010/02/15/news/opinion/letters_2-14.txt

Canon Pets, from left: Sadie (Cavalier KC Spaniel), and Duke & Buddy (our two Labs)

Two years ago we went to a wedding in Downtown Fort Worth of two friends of ours (the groom was a friend of mine from law school, and the bride was a friend of Chris’ from growing up in Midland; it is such a small world we can’t even tell you).  The band that played at their wedding was a good friend of theirs, Josh Grider.  We would like to take a minute to invite all of you Midlanders to brave the cold weather tonight, stop by The Ranch and check out an Austin band on the rise, the Josh Grider Trio, opening up for the Josh Abbott Band tonight. 

It never ceases to amaze us the musical acts, mostly Texas country music acts, that come through town and perform at The Ranch to little or no fanfare: Reckless Kelly, Pat Green, Robert Earl Keen, Roger Creager, Cory Morrow, Jack Ingram, Charlie Robison, Eli Young, Honeybrowne, Asleep at the Wheel, and the Bellamy Brothers, just to name a few.  We ourselves rarely go to the Ranch, if ever (we’re either boring or old, take your pick) but we applaud the many years of live music and major acts, along with those yet-to-be-discovered, that they have brought to town.   Pretty impressive for a small-town live music venue.  Thanks to The Ranch for the live music…. and welcome to West Texas Josh!

As my co-worker and Chris’ friend Pat remarked to me today that our blog has “gone downhill” (That’s a bold statement…. You may be one of only two readers of this blog, but Chris’ Nana would definitely not agree with you), I have decided to let out his beloved lunch secret, that Wednesdays are FAJITA DAY at Romie’s Restaurante. 

That’s right, I want all of you who work Downtown and are looking for hot, quick, and delicious fajitas to start frequenting this restaurant on Wednesdays like Pat does.  It really is a great special, and the fajitas are brought almost immediately to your table for just $6.99. And now that the secret is out, maybe Pat will have a harder time finding a table…..  J

Romie’s really is a Midland institution.  We mentioned Romies back in 2008, cheering the restaurant owners’ generosity in offering a free lunch for the needy on Thanksgiving.  Still a class act, and a fantastic place to go for lunch.  Enjoy.

Class Act - Romie’s Mexican Restaurant

http://livemidlandtexas.com/the_sounding_of_two_canons/2008/12/01/class-act-romies-mexican-restaurant/

Romie’s - lunch done right near downtown

http://www.mywesttexas.com/articles/2010/02/04/life/top_stories/doc4b6af20c5065e389122174.txt

Romie’s Mexican Restaurante, located at 701 S. Marienfeld St., is open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.

We love Kathleen Thurber’s article on the reports from the Vision 2020 committees regarding ideas for Downtown.  What a fantastic quote from Vision 2020 co-chairman of the Arts Committee Jeff Hewett, who stated his committee “could see everything from microbreweries to teahouses to flower markets and outdoor performance spaces taking shape.”  These committees are definitely dreaming big, which is their purpose.  We applaud their hard work, and in response say, you just never know until you try!!!!  It’s hard to imagine Midland without the programs, services, and institutions that were dreamed up by the Vision 2020 program (if you don’t believe us, watch the history video here: http://www.midlandvision2020.com). 

We also LOVE the slideshow of Downtown today!  Especially the very old pictures.  Thanks MRT!   C&C

Downtown renovation focus of Vision 2020 goals

http://mywesttexas.com/articles/2010/02/06/news/top_stories/vision_2020_downtown_midland_sunday.txt

GALLERY: Our favorite photos of Downtown Midland (1908-2010)

http://mywesttexas.com/shared-content/story_tools/slideshow/?id=37

Anyone who reads our blog knows that we are big fans of Cancun Grill. We actually have three favorite places to eat in Midland, which are (1) Cancun Grill, (2) Wall Street, and the (3) Garlic Press (Luigi’s is an honorable mention for nostalgia reasons). All three have excellent lunch menus, but since the first two are located Downtown we eat at those two more frequently, while reserving Garlic Press for the extra special occasions. Depending on what day you ask us is what answer you will receive when asking us our personal opinions on which one of the three is our very favorite. But if we had to pick one, we would have to say that Cancun Grill located in Downtown Midland is in our opinion the best place to eat in Midland, Texas.

If you don’t know their story, owner Joe Torres and co-founder Javier Valles were popular employees of Midland Country Club before they left to open their own restaurant, Cancun Grill at its original location on Big Spring Street. We ate there often at their old location, and like to say we knew them before they made it big. Since they have moved Downtown, they have really hit the big time, becoming a real Midland fixture in just a few short years.

We love Cancun because it is FESTIVE. The food is always fresh, the service is always impeccable, and the owners and employees are friendly. It really is the place where everyone knows everybody. If it’s a Friday or Saturday – make reservations or prepare to wait, because it will be packed. We cannot stress this enough: the food is solid. Today we ordered the shrimp and tilapia tacos, and they were excellent. If you haven’t tried their Roasted Corn Queso, please do so. It’s famous for a reason, and highly addictive. Though this is just two people’s humble and highly subjective opinion, we just finally had to devote an entire post to this amazing restaurant. Keep up the good work guys.

http://www.cancunbarandgrill.com/

Mural to the right hangs behind the counter at Cancun Grill. It was made special for Cancun Grill by local graphic designer and cartoonist Norman Johnson, who also does corporate imaging. Mr. Johnson has had cartoons in the local paper for many years. Courtesy Norman Johnson of NORMAN – A Graphics Studio; E-mail: normangraphics@suddenlink.net; Studio Phone: 432.697.1552