Dr Pepper Malts and Other Pleasant Memories

I used to be a soda jerk at Renfro’s Drugs on 35^th Street. It was next door to Lou Sweet’s A&P. My parents knew someone who worked for the company. This friend was an accountant, I believe, and he and his family lived on the second floor of the store on South Congress across from Fulmore Junior High School. I made hamburgers and sandwiches, and mixed a variety of drinks. For fountain drinks such as Coca Cola and Dr Pepper, we would squirt in a concentrated syrup and then add carbonated water. We also made malts, shakes, and floats. The only flavors for malts back then were chocolate, vanilla or strawberry. One day when I wasn't too busy, I created a new drink that became my all time favorite: a Dr Pepper malt.

Our malts were made with only the best ice cream. Milk was added to give it the right consistency. For my new invention I replaced the milk with cream. There were probably tons of calories in that drink, but no one thought about that back then. Mmm.

I'd forgotten about that time in my life until recently. Celeste and I had a long weekend away in a B&B in Glen Rose, Texas. We were close to Dublin, and everyone knows that's where you get real Dr Pepper. See www.dublindrpepper.com. They use Imperial pure cane sugar instead of the high fructose stuff you usually get. I learned Dublin Dr Pepper is actually bottled in Temple, but it was fun visiting the combination museum and old time fountain. I told the man behind the fountain about the Dr Pepper malt I had invented, and he said they make them all the time. I ordered one and the memories poured in. I was a teenager again. I savored that drink and thought of Austin the way it was in the fifties.

While writing Where Love Once Lived, the older version of Austin popped into my head often. I didn't ignore the new Austin which I've learned to love, but I'm reminded of a happy time in my life. Have you found ways to visit your childhood? I'd like to hear about it.

Harker Heights Library Book Signing

I had the opportunity to participate in another book signing, this time at the Harker Heights Public Library. Harker Heights, Texas is a part of the Kileen-Temple-Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area. The official population was 17,308 in 2000, but I saw a lot of growth there, including the library which appeared to be a new addition to the city facilities.

The staff treated us graciously, with coffee, juice and pastries when we got there, and lunch afterward. I didn’t get all the names of the other authors, but here a list of most of them: Emery Lee, Renae Brumbaugh, Alison Craven Roberts, Michael T. Leslie,  George I. Duhart, Malcolm  L. Dickinson, Sonia Simmons Wren, Barbara Youngblood Carr, Charles “Skeeta” Jenkins, and Phil Hewitt.

The authors’ tables were in the front hallway leading into the library proper on one side and a large conference room on the other side where a used book sale was going on. There was a constant flow of patrons while I was there between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

Around 11:30 a.m., the authors of children's books, went into the library and talked about their books. After they finished, the rest of the authors were invited to talk or read from their books. The audience in the reading section was surely increased due to the free sandwiches and snack foods available there.

We had a limit of five minutes. I had selected two excerpts and planned to check who was in attendance before deciding which one to read. The first one was the first half of the first scene in the book. It was a part of the book that wouldn’t require any back story. The second choice was the Great Chase scene near the end of the book. I scanned the audience and decided to read the chase scene. Since it was so far into the book, I took a minute or so to tell them about the characters.

I only sold one book, but it was fun. I met some interesting people and made contacts for the future. One of the authors there invited me to be on his TV show to talk about my book. Another author had some great books for tweens that I think my grandkids will enjoy. So, all in all, it was a successful event.

Dr Pepper Malts and Other Pleasant Memories

I used to be a soda jerk at Renfro’s Drugs on 35th Street. It was next door to Lou Sweet’s A&P. My parents knew someone who worked for the company. This friend was an accountant, I believe, and he and his family lived on the second floor of the store on South Congress across from Fulmore Junior High School. I made hamburgers and sandwiches, and mixed a variety of drinks. For fountain drinks such as Coca Cola and Dr Pepper, we would squirt in a concentrated syrup and then add carbonated water. We also made malts, shakes, and floats. The only flavors for malts back then were chocolate, vanilla or strawberry. One day when I wasn't too busy, I created a new drink that became my all time favorite: a Dr Pepper malt.

Our malts were made with only the best ice cream. Milk was added to give it the right consistency. For my new invention I replaced the milk with cream. There were probably tons of calories in that drink, but no one thought about that back then. Mmm.

I'd forgotten about that time in my life until recently. Celeste and I had a long weekend away in a B&B in Glen Rose, Texas. We were close to Dublin, and everyone knows that's where you get real Dr Pepper. See www.dublindrpepper.com. They use Imperial pure cane sugar instead of the high fructose stuff you usually get. I learned Dublin Dr Pepper is actually bottled in Temple, but it was fun visiting the combination museum and old time fountain. I told the man behind the fountain about the Dr Pepper malt I had invented, and he said they make them all the time. I ordered one and the memories poured in. I was a teenager again. I savored that drink and thought of Austin the way it was in the fifties.

In writing Where Love Once Lived, that older version of Austin pops into my head often. I don't ignore the new Austin which I've learned to love, but I'm reminded of a happy time in my life. Have you found ways to visit your childhood? I'd like to hear about it.