Jan Schroder

A manager friend often says, “I can’t solve a problem if I don’t know about it.” That’s his way of encouraging colleagues to inform him of issues as they arise.

While you may think of camping sites, lodges and cabins for park accommodations, some offer lodging a bit more out-of-the box. We recently stayed in a 1970s barrel cabin in Unicoi State Park in North Georgia, so named because it’s shaped like a giant barrel.

Here are five reasons to plan a trip to Lake Charles, Louisiana, this summer, a two-hour drive from Houston.

After “Mama” Ninfa Laurenzo’s husband died, she started The Original Ninfa’s on Navigation Street in 1973, stuffing skirt steak into tortillas from her family’s tortilla factory. She called the dish tacos al carbon, but they became widely known as fajitas.

Things are brewing in Garden Oaks on Wakefield Drive. Breweries and a winery are drawing hundreds of visitors to sip, sample and socialize in inviting, family-friendly indoor and outdoor spaces. Here are a few of our favorites.

Already home to four high-speed, wedgie-inducing thrill rides, the Schlitterbahn Waterpark Galveston is adding a fourth this year, set to open in June. The multi-million-dollar Infinity Racer requires riders to lie down on their stomachs head first and zoom down the 696-foot-long, 75-foot-tall enclosed spiral slide to a splash zone below.

“You can’t get there from here.” That was pretty much the answer if you wanted to get from one side of Mason Park to the other. The 104-acre park was bisected by Brays Bayou.

Tired of mowing his grass, John Milkovisch began laying mosaic pieces, rocks and metal in concrete in his backyard in Houston in 1968. After the yard was covered, he turned to the exterior of his home.

Luscious blueberries with just the right amount of sweetness and a flaky crust – it may have been the most delicious blueberry pie I’d ever had.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), heart disease is the underlying cause of approximately 1 in 3 deaths. Follow AHA’s Life’s Simple 7 to stay healthy.

I’m not sure I’m passionate enough about anything to dedicate my entire home to it. But two men in Houston did, resulting in the Beer Can House and The Orange Show.

Builder, banker, publisher and politician Jesse H. Jones was once known as Mr. Houston. An eighth-grade dropout, he arrived in Houston in 1898 and made his fortune as a developer and builder, constructing 35 skyscrapers.

The new H-E-B in The Heights has beer and wine on tap, plus a selection of 1,800 kinds of wine and 300 beer varieties.

It’s one of the hottest tickets in town. Lines form early every Thursday night for Bingo in The Heights at SPJST Lodge 88. The games start at 7 p.m., but doors open at 5:15 and all 700 seats fill up quickly.

Before the days of GPS I sat in the passenger seat with a map unfolded on my lap.. I’ve always been a big fan of maps and have happily adjusted to Waze. And I’ve been known to enjoy an adult beverage. So how fun is it that the two are combined on the Map Engraved Barware collection from Uncommon Green?

Charlotte toddler Annie was watching “Sesame Street” late December when her mom, Amanda, thought she heard Grover say the “F” word. Annie’s dad (my son Thomas) replayed the segment, agreed it was debatable, posted it to Reddit, launching a top listing, 124,000 views, 3,400 comments and an international sensation.

Last week I led a crisis training for a nonprofit leadership team. It’s my favorite activity in public relations.

I was a few steps ahead of my son Thomas and his daughter Annie, nearly 20 months old, when we visited the mall weeks ago. I instinctively snapped a quick photo and posted it on Facebook.

In the March 1980 Republican primaries, George Bush had already lost what he called his “Big Mo” to Ronald Reagan. He bounded off his campaign plane in conservative Augusta, Georgia, for another obligatory meeting with local reporters.