DALLAS — In Phoning It In, Mike Castellucci explores a few of the stories that make Texas unique -- a photographer who's also an explorer, the family behind Fletcher's Corny Dog, and t-shirt storytellers who found lost love in a junkyard.
And he tells their stories a little differently -- using only his iPhone.
One thousand miles. Ten days. Tooling around the north part of Texas.
The latest Phoning It In show started in Dallas and wound up in Turkey, Texas.
I wanted to spend time with one of the premiere Dallas skyline photographers, Justin Terveen. I found out that in-between shooting Dallas, he jumps in his SUV and chases storms. I jumped with him, all the way to Turkey and beyond.
He met fellow photographers in the middle of nowhere and introduced me to the Allsups fried burrito. Have you had one?
I’ve never felt like I’ve gotten in the way of a story. But I can tell you, I did this time.
After waiting most of the evening for storms to blow up, I needed to get back to Dallas. He drove me.
His friends stayed and later caught a tornado from the same spot where we were waiting.
Luckily it worked out and the next day we caught a pretty good lightning storm!
Love story in a junkyard
You never know what you’re going to get when you meet someone for a story.
Imagine finding a story in a junkyard. A touching, love story really.
That’s exactly what happened north of Denton on the side of the road.
Steve Eberhart, who owns KGAF Radio in Gainseville, told me his brother knew where his first car ended up. After a lifetime of different owners, it wound up in a junkyard close by.
We went out to find it.
We all remember our first car. It’s not often that we get to see it again.
Three wheels are better than two
The rest of the stories in this episode skirted North Texas.
At White Rock Lake, a group of cyclists get together every week to ride—their TRIKES.
Oh these aren’t what you think. They are sophisticated machines that are becoming very popular.
The family behind the Corny Dog
Is it your tradition to eat a Fletcher’s corny dog at the State Fair of Texas? It seems like tradition for most of us!
I, like many of you, wouldn’t let a fair go by without experiencing a Fletcher’s.
And that’s what it is—an experience. From waiting in line, to slathering mustard on it (sometimes ketchup), and taking a picture with it in front of Big Tex.
For years, I wanted to know about the family. It turns out they have an incredible story.
In fact, one family member, who is known for making the secret batter, is also a policeman in Crandall, a town east of Dallas.
They are a hard-working family, and like I hope all the stories are—inspirational.
Finding the right words
I usually find myself agonizing over writing a story. I want to make sure I honor the folks who make them possible. I want to find the right words.
So imagine finding the right words for a t-shirt. The ultimate in concise writing, right?!
And that’s where I got the idea to base the show at Bullzerk, the t-shirt makers with the clever sayings in Dallas. I really appreciate them, and everybody who helped make Phoning It In possible.
