Category: Behind the Scenes

2019 Look Back

Posted on by Chet

One of my favorite things to do at the end of any year is look back on all the blessings that the year brought. If I don’t intentionally take some time to slow down and reflect, then I completely miss celebrating the victories. Simply put, I miss the chance to be thankful for some pretty amazing things. Of course, no year is perfect and 2019 definitely had it’s struggles, but here are some of the amazing moments. Thanks to everyone who made 2019 our best year yet.

Best Overall Moment

Hands down the birth of my son – Shepherd Garner. I know it seems like I have to say this, but truthfully, nothing can top it.

Highest Honor of the Year

I got to be the emcee for the Governors Inauguration on the Capitol Lawn. Other honors include winning our 9th Lone Star Emmy, being named a finalist for the Austin Under 40 Awards, and being the Grand Marshall for the Oatmeal Festival.

I announced the Duncanville band and dance corp. That is Governor Abbotts hometown
Repping at the Austin Under 40 Awards
I wasnt at the ceremony, so here is Daniel accepting the award on stage.
Eat your oatmeal kids, or youll turn out like this…

Best Meal I Ate

It’s a close one, but the winner is Second Bar + Kitchen in the Domain. It was a multi-course roman feast and everything was amazing. Runner Ups include: The Brewers Table in East Austin and The Schooner in Nederland.

Ribeye from Second.
The “fish” option at The Brewers Table.
BarBQ crabs at The Schooner

Best Plate of BBQ

This is a really tough one, but the winner is Bodacious BBQ in Longview, TX for its killer….everything. Close second goes to Interstellar BBQ in Austin, TX.

The Full Spread at Bodacious BBQ on Mobberly.
A plate of the goods at Interstellar BBQ

Best Burger on the Road

We eat a LOT of burgers on the show, but on camera and in between the official locations. My top burger goes to “Nate Nasty” at The Porch at ETX Brewing in Tyler, TX. It looks like a pile of slop but its SOO good with beef, pork, mac & cheese, and an egg. Runner Up burgers include Willie’s Place in Wichita Falls, Fat Boy Burgers in Johnson City, and Eatsie Boys in Houston.

The Nate Nasty at The Porch at ETX Brewing in Tyler, TX
  • Eatsie Boys in Houston, TX
  • Willie’s Place in Wichita Falls, TX
  • Fat Boy Burgers in Johnson City, TX

Best Adrenaline-Pumping Adventure

This one goes to two experiences. One was taking my first hot-air balloon ride and the other was hiking to the top of Baldy Peak in the Davis Mountains.

Hey Down There…
The Top of Baldy Peak!

Best Family Adventure

My family got to visit Oregon with our partner Best Western. It was an incredible experience. The Eastern side of the state is very similar to Texas in the best of ways. The video will come out in early January 2020. Runner Up includes taking my kids into the “Shark Cage” at the Mesquite Rodeo.

Riding on a wagon in Oregon.
Inside of the SHARK CAGE right next to the Bull Riding!!!

Best Couple’s Adventure

My wife and I got to go to New York City before our baby arrived. We made a video about it which you can find here. A close Runner Up was a getaway to Camp Lucy in Dripping Springs.

The view from a gas station. Or the Empire State Building. I cant remember.
The overlook at Camp Lucy.

Best Texas-Travel Moments

There are a ton of these, but the ones that stand out in my head as really special are…

Visited 15 new Texas Counties. I’m still about 30 shy of 254, but I’ll get there.
Visiting the CENTER OF TEXAS
Seeing the Spot where the Colorado River flows into the Gulf of Mexico.
I got to attend my first Aggie ring ceremony for my sister-in-law. Im a proud Longhorn, so you wont see me doing a GIG EM, but I was happy to support her.
I got to see the top of the “Worlds Littlest Skyscraper”
Go to see my first Cowboys game since the 90’s.
Made some new friends on the road like Matt Pittman of Meat Church.

Best Accomplishments of the Year

We raised support for local food banks via our CANS 4 Q partnerships with Rudys “Country Store” and Bar-B-Q
I got to emcee a number of galas raising support for amazing charities.
We opened THE DAYTRIPPER WORLD HEADQUARTERS a new office and retail store.
  • George Strait
  • Charley Crockett and Vince Neil Emerson
  • Pat Green
Got to see some of my favorite Texas artists in the concert for the first time.
Got myself a Custom Hat from Nathaniels Custom Hats in Georgetown
We launched a campaign with Don Hewlett Chevrolet. Can you guess the mystery spokesperson?
We did a truly LIVE fundraiser with Austin PBS and raised over $10,000 for public television.

I better cut it off here. But the more I look, the more that I find incredible moments hidden in between these. I want to encourage y’all to take some time and celebrate 2019. I’m sure it had challenges, but don’t miss the chance to celebrate the blessings.

THANKS FOR AN AMAZING 2019

Our DELL Workstations are BEASTS!

Posted on by Chet

After our last VIDEO giving y’all an insider’s look at our new office, we had some people ask what specific DELL systems we use. Well we have a few different DELL Workstations around the office, but our editing team all has the same system.

For the nerdy, tech-spec types, the details are below. This system is incredible. Not only is it mobile allowing us to take it on the road, but it’s crazy powerful and allows us to process serious amounts of footage and data with ease. Seriously, 4K footage puts a ton of pressure on a workstation, and these computers have the beef to handle it.

If you have any specific questions, please email us and we’ll be happy to tell you more.

MODEL: 15.6″ Precision 7530 Mobile Workstation

PROCESSOR: Intel Xeon 6-core 2.70 GHz, 4.40 GHz Turbo

MEMORY: 64GB DDR4

PRIMARY HARD DRIVE: 1TB SSD

SECONDARY DRIVE: 2TB SSD

GRAPHICS CARD: NVIDIA Quadro P2000 w/4GB GDDR

A Longhorn in Aggieland

Posted on by Chet

Y’all know I’m a proud Texas Longhorn.  But when you get invited to experience a game on one of the most storied fields in college sports – you go!   End of story.   I had a chance to live out this life rule when I was invited to the Alabama vs A&M football game on Kyle Field.  So I threw on a maroon “Daytripper” shirt as a disguise (cause y’all know I wasn’t going to put on an actual Aggie shirt), and I headed into “enemy” territory.  What I found was both terrifying and amazing!  As you can see, I felt a little out of place.

A couple first observations.  1. The Aggies tailgate like champs.  And 2. Reveille looks way different in person.

As for the stadium – it was AWESOME!  The stands surround the playing field like the walls of the Roman Coliseum.  The noise levels are deafening.  If I was a visiting football player, this would be one of the most intimidating places to play on earth.

As an outsider, the terrifying part was watching the cheers and band.   For all 60 minutes of playing time, the students stand and constantly erupt into songs and chants.  Something about farming and delivering milk.  😉  It’s quite amazing…and scary.  Mostly I’ve got nothing but respect for the Aggies.  Their spirit is on another level.

It was a great game.  It didn’t turn out the way the Aggies hoped, but it was an incredible experience.  That night we got to stay at the brand new THE GEORGE hotel, named after President George H.W. Bush who’s Presidential Library is on campus.   It’s a mix of contemporary style and “old army” design.  Very cool place that could hold its own in any downtown Texas city.

Check out this Texas flag in the lobby.  Now I know what Aggies do with their books instead of reading them….#badjoke…or is it #dadjoke.

 

FINAL THOUGHTS: It was really really fun.  The Aggies may be crazy, but they do a lot of things right – especially when it comes to spirit and traditions.  And if you ever get the chance to attend an Aggie game at Kyle Field – GO!  1000 times.  GO!

Stay tuned for the video VLOG that I shot while there, and checkout Linsey’s take on Aggieland here.