Southern Texas and Lizards with Horns

By Beau

Last week I went on the first shoot for the wife’s new documentary film currently titled “Where Did the Horny Toad Go?”  This was the first of what is to be many trips as we make our quest to find out just exactly where this famed lizard has gone?  Among our destinations were the small town of Kenedy, TX which has been dubbed the Horny Toad Capital of Texas; Kingsville, TX near the King Ranch where Texas A&M has a small wildlife preserve, and perhaps the most interesting place of all, the Island of Matagorda.  Matagorda, which is off of the gulf coast of Texas, is a 38 by 2.5 mile island that serves as one giant wildlife preserve filled with rattlesnakes, wild boars, endangered birds, and what else, Texas Horned Lizards.  AKA, Horny Toads.

Why the documentary on the Texas Horned Lizard?  Stefanie grew up in Western Oklahoma, where looking for horny toads was a favorite pass time, as it was for just about every child.  And not just with our generation, or geographical location.  The more people she talked to, the more stories she heard about how much these little buggers are adored.  And just about everyone asks the question, “Whatever happened to the Horny Toad?”

For as long as I’ve wanted to make films, I’ve wanted to make a difference, and two times now, my wife has been the one to make that happen for me.  Who’d a thunk it?  With her first film, Food For Thought, which is about farming and local agriculture, and now with the making of this one, I finally feel like I am starting to feed that romantic desire to change the world.

This film will be a long journey, but I know the final product will be well worth it.  Keep checking in for more updates about our journey.