Sunrise at McKinney Falls State Park. Photo by Theresa DiMenno.
Over the past 11 months, I have often been in awe of the tenacity of our staff members and their unwavering commitment to producing quality work despite the myriad obstacles presented by the pandemic. But I’ve never been quite as proud and humbled by their unflappability as I have been over the past two weeks as they finished this issue during the unprecedented winter storm. Like millions of Texans across the state, many of our staffers lost power and water for days. And like millions of Texans, they persevered and looked for ways to help their neighbors.
Managing Editor Kimya Kavehkar, who lost power for 14 hours, opened her home to another editor who was without power. She also put in extra hours taking on the work of team members who were busy keeping themselves and their families warm and fed.
Tyson Bird, our digital strategies manager, was without power for four days and water for five, but still somehow managed to meet his deadline for the digital edition of the 2021 Texas State Travel Guide, which our team produces annually. You can see the result of his efforts, including a searchable database of more than 2,500 attractions in nearly 500 cities, at texashighways.com/travelguide.
My family was without power for two days and water for 10, but we were fortunate to rely on kind neighbors who kept us supplied with firewood, water, and showers. And luckily, my husband, who has backpacked the most rugged areas of Big Bend National Park, has much more robust survival skills than I do.
One of the few things that buoyed our spirits during the difficult week was the handful of enthusiastic reader emails we received as our March issue reached mailboxes. While we all witnessed the fearsome power of nature this winter, this issue is devoted to its ability to comfort and soothe. May we all experience its healing power this month.
Emily Roberts Stone
Editor in Chief
