The Boot - Issue 3 by Boot Ranch

THE BOOT ST O R I E S F R O M T H E T E X A S H I L L C O U N T RY

H O W A B U S I N E SS W O M A N A N D P H I L A N T H R O P I ST ST R I V E S TO P R ES E R V E H I STO RY

A CO U P L E ’ S H O M E F I L L E D W I T H FA I T H A N D FAV O R I T ES

2022 | ISSUE 3

A FO R M I D A B L E W H I S K E Y T E A M A N D T H E K E YS TO S U CC E SS

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FREDERICKSBURG, TEXAS

Boot Ranch is a place where one-of-a-kind legacy homes harmonize with the breathtaking terrain of the Texas Hill Country. A rare place where being active and close to nature brings you and your family even closer together.

“

Boot Ranch reflects everything great about Texas – open spaces, Hill Country beauty, welcoming hearts, and an authenticity that is hard to explain. – Vicki and Jim Montague

”

BootRanch.com • (830) 997-6200 Call to plan your private tour

Homesites from the $500,000s Estate homes, cabins and shared-ownership homes available

Property purchase includes a multi-generational Club membership.

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BUILD YOUR LEGACY IN A PLACE THAT’S LEGENDARY HHHHH

The Finest Private Club Community in Texas

©2022 – Boot Ranch Holdings, LLC - All rights reserved. Property prices and availability are subject to change. Oral representations cannot be relied upon as correctly stating representations of the Developer. Obtain the Property Report required by Federal law and read it before signing anything. Not intended as an offer of or solicitation to buy real estate where prior qualification is required. The graphic materials and statements contained in this advertisement are proposed only, and the Developer reserves the right to modify, revise or withdraw any or all of same in its sole discretion and without prior notice. All improvements, designs and construction are subject to first obtaining the appropriate federal, state and local permits and approvals for same.

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R E D E F I N I N G

L I V A B L E

I N T E R I O R S

donnafiggdesign.com 512.298.2588

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T E X AS ROO TS

9 LATENT TALENT An artist who finds joy in the work

SAVOR

15 SOUP’S ON! Warming the heart, one spoonful at a time

CONTENTS

I NSI DE

F E AT U R ES

ON VINTAGES & VINTNERS

Pairing your palate

THE PERFECT BLEND OF SKILL AND SPIRIT A formidable whiskey team and the keys to success

33 ENDURING GRATITUDE How Dian Stai strives to preserve history

43 WINE, WOMEN, AND DETERMINATION Fast friends and their winery dream come true

49 A TREASURED COLLECTION A couple’s home filled with faith and favorites

57 WHY FREDERICKSBURG? An surprising locale for global entrepreneurs and executives

BACK AT T H E R A NCH

63 WHAT’S NEXT FOR BOOT RANCH? A conversation with Mark Enderle

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EDITOR’S NOTE

n planning this issue of The Boot, it occurred to us that our previous issues were chock full of men, but featured few women. So we set out this time to introduce you to some enterprising women whose common thread is a passion for the Texas Hill Country. Among those you’ll meet: Dian Stai, whose business successes enabled her to become the philanthropic godmother of Fredericksburg; Val Walden, who jumped off the technology industry fast-track and became an accomplished artist; Barbara Lecuona and Mary Anne Waldrip, who were brought together by their mutual love of wine and are now launching a new Hill Country winery together; Marsha Milam, Heather Greene and Marlene Holmes, whose fledgling Hill Country whiskey distillery has quickly garnered national attention and accolades, And Teresa Dunn and Allison McDade, whose decisions to relocate to Fredericksburg some might find surprising given their work lives. We included other women and a few men, too, just to balance things out. Among them is Mark Enderle, a partner in the Boot Ranch development team. In the concluding article of the magazine, Enderle talks about what’s next for Boot Ranch. The short answer is: a lot. That’s also the short answer to what’s inside this magazine: a lot of enjoyable reading. So I won’t keep you from it any longer. Go ahead and turn the page. JOHN KOENIG

Executive Editor

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THE BOOT ST O R I E S F R O M T H E T E X A S H I L L C O U N T RY

FREDERICKSBURG, TEXAS

Emil Hale General Manager Linda Davis Chairman, Advisory Board of Governors Mark Enderle Terra Verde Group Dan Green Wheelock Street Capital Barbara Koenig Publisher John Koenig Executive Editor For more information, contact info@BootRanch.com.

From the Publishers of

PROJECT MANAGER

PHOTOGRAPHER

Erin Kubatzky

All photography by Marshall Tidrick unless credited otherwise.

DESIGNER

Chantel Stull

WRITERS

COPY EDITOR

Sara McCabe DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION

Aaron Chamberlain ACCOUNT DIRECTOR

Jessica Dupuy Anne McCready Heinen John Koenig Lori Moffett Roger Munford

Elda Arellano

ON THE COVER

BOOTRANCH.COM

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(830) 337-8931 • Fredericksburg, Texas • CenturionHomesTX.com

THE ATTENTION YOU WANT. THE QUALITY YOU

deserve.

Each one-of-a-kind home starts with the owner’s vision. A talented architect gives it form. And an experienced builder makes it tangible through the hands of skilled tradesmen and flawless attention to every detail. If you have a vision for your next Hill Country home, let’s talk soon.

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Valerie Walden, a late bloomer as an artist, in her Austin studio.

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TEXAS RO OTS

Latent Talent

Painter Valerie Walden proves it’s never too late to pursue your passion. BY RO GER MUNFORD

here was a time when anyone who knew Valerie Walden probably would have described her first as a successful, hard-charging business executive, including Walden herself. That was 20 or so years ago. These days she’s more likely to be known as an accomplished and well-regarded artist. And that’s not at all what she envisioned herself becoming in her early years. “No, I was not an artist when I was young,” Walden says. But her older sister Gerry was. “I remember coming home from (elementary) school with this little relief I’d made from cardboard cutouts and papier-mâché, and I rushed to show her. I said, ‘Gerry, I got an A+ on this,’ and she told me it was wonderful. But I was looking at her paintings and realizing that what I’d done really wasn’t very good. I remember thinking that I didn’t have any talent.” Her sister went to art school. Walden chose a different path. With a bachelor’s degree in management and marketing from Texas A&M University, and

a master’s from Troy University in Alabama, she stormed into the world of business. After cutting her teeth at the Ogilvy & Mather advertising agency and Continental Airlines, she became vice president of marketing at a cell phone company that was acquired by AT&T Wireless in 1994. She moved on to another telecommunications firm, which brought her to Austin. And in 2000, she became chief operating officer of a company that produced an inexpensive internet access device. But then burnout set in. “I was just at that point where I’d been through so much,” she says with a sigh. “Life in the internet bubble: You’re hiring people, you’re firing people, the company was bleeding money. My mind was blowing up. I think I was successful in business because I always loved what I did, and I didn’t love it anymore.” In early 2001, she resigned from the job. And that’s when the second chapter— the artistic chapter—of Walden’s story began. Back to school

The next day, she signed up for an art class at Laguna Gloria (then the Austin Museum of Fine Arts, but now The Contemporary Austin). Having long before decided she did not share the raw talent of her sister, she did so with low expectations.

“Remember, I had no formal training, but I signed up for a class in figurative life drawing. There was this model, and I had a huge canvas, but I ended up drawing her this big,” she says, holding her thumb and index finger just a few inches apart. “My instructor kindly told me, ‘You can do that a little bit bigger.’ Walden continued with the art classes, moving over to soft pastels. “I realized I wanted to get involved with the art community and found myself a studio I could share. There were a few of us and it was great,” Walden says. “But then the lady who ran the place moved away, and so the business side of me took over.” Walden took up the reins, managing the North Austin studio, taking care of the lease and rent, running the shows, branding the website, and making the operation profitable. In 2007, it was established as an artist’s co-op called Austin Art Space. “And that’s when I realized I was leaning back into business when I really wanted more time to devote to my art. So I turned it over to the nonprofit Austin Visual Arts Association,” Walden says, adding proudly, “It’s still here.” That was really the moment that Valerie Walden started treating herself seriously as an artist, making the first of many trips to Idaho to study with Scott Christensen, a renowned landscape artist.

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TEXAS RO OTS

Art for art’s sake

She took a two-week introductory class with Christensen, a painter and teacher for more than 40 years. “I was with Val when she was a beginner in this craft of painting, and I really loved the enthusiasm she always portrayed, right from the start,” says Christensen. “Val’s passion for painting is evident in her work.” Walden studied with Christensen over a three-year period, and that began her love affair with plein air painting, which is all about experiencing the world outside your studio, painting and drawing within a landscape. It was not her original intention. “I thought I would enjoy painting abstracts when I got started, but that was not to be,” she says. “Every time I started painting, I found myself trying to make it look like something.” Walden’s passion is capturing moments of nature in a realistic yet stylized interpretation of what she sees. “You know, there are some photographic artists that do amazing work, but that’s not me: I don’t have the patience. My paintings are more representational than literal. I love to paint birds—you know it’s a bird, but it’s not every feather on the bird.” It took a while for her to develop her style. “I think you just work through what your style is, what you’re comfortable with. During one workshop, the only thing the instructor told me was that my work was ‘joyful,’” she says, laughing. “You ask someone you respect to critique your work and get ‘joyful.’ That’s not what I was hoping for!” Home is where the art is

As Walden will tell you, she spent 10 years as an artist finding her feet, and the last decade trying to refine her art. “I have many people who love my art—

some who have multiple pieces of my artwork, but I still feel like I have a long way to go,” she says. As she walks around her home studio in Austin, Walden proudly opens book after book, pointing out paintings that have inspired her. “Look at this,” she says, holding up a print of Nocturne in Blue and Silver: The Lagoon, Venice, a 19th century painting by James McNeill Whistler. “This is a good example of representational art: You know it’s a boat, that’s a tower, there’s water, but there’s not a lot of detail. Just beautiful.” One of her most important influences is American painter Mary Cassatt, a friend of Edgar Degas and the only American artist to exhibit her work with the Impressionists in Paris. Other inspirations include landscape and portrait artist John Singer Sargent, landscape artist George Inness, and Richard Schmid, the latter for his work in pastels. Walden’s home studio has two areas carved out—one for pastel work and the other for oil. Each space is dominated by large windows with panoramic views of Lake Austin. Everywhere you look are photographs of places Walden has visited, prompting her to capture what she’s looking at as inspiration for future pieces. Much of her inspiration flows from the beautiful Hill Country surrounding the second home she shares in Boot Ranch with her husband of 34 years, Kirk Walden. “So, this is just outside of Fredericksburg,” she says, holding up a series of images. “It’s called Willow City Loop, famous for its bluebonnets, and my painting is going to be gorgeous as I’m going to be using the depth of that sunset for its focus.” Walden usually has at least two, but sometimes as many as five, paintings going at the same time. “Of course, it depends on the size, composition, and complexity of what I’m painting, but it

usually takes me a few weeks to finish a piece,” she says. Find a job you enjoy doing

As well as being an artist, Walden is an avid golfer and that’s why she so loves her home at Boot Ranch. But when she’s in Austin, you can generally find her in her studio anywhere from three to six days every week. “I’m enjoying what I’m doing,” she says, “versus when I sat in a board meeting all day, and all I thought about was, ‘How can I get out of here?’” Recalling her time as a business executive, she says, “I never really looked around me. Now I notice how the light hits the trees; I marvel at how many shades of green there are. And I feel so honored when someone sends me a photo of my artwork hanging on the wall of their home.” Any artist will tell you that he or she needs to continue to learn, and Walden remains involved in the Pastel Society of America and the Oil Painters of America. “I still attend workshops and classes, because you just can’t do this in a vacuum,” she says. “You have to be able to see the reactions of people and get feedback to fully understand what you’re doing.” For Walden, the goal is not to win awards: It’s about making sure her thoughts and impressions are being understood in the way she’d like them to be interpreted. “Of course, if I did win an award, I can hear the announcement now: ‘And in the Joyful Category, the winner is …’”

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ROBERT PUMMILL

NANCY BUSH

BRIAN GRIMM

TIMELESS ART FOR THE REFINED HOME 214 W. Main St  Fredericksburg, TX  830.997.9920  www.InSightGallery.com

PHIL BOB BORMAN

BRUCE GREENE

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DANIEL F. GERHARTZ

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MARK HAWORTH

BILLY SCHENCK

InSight Gallery represents a select group of the ﬁnest painters and sculptors living and working today in landscape, still life, ﬁgurative, impressionistic, sporting, Native American, wildlife, and Western art. DAVID A LEFFEL

JIM EPPLER

ROBERT MOORE

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Chef Lana Black displays her chicken tortilla soup, a recipe that reminds her of “cold nights by the fireplace.”

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SAVOR

Soup’s On!

mong Texas chefs, it’s not uncommon to find a common thread of favorite recipes that spotlight classic Lone Star ingredients. From grilled steak and smoked brisket to sizzling fajitas, braised carnitas for tacos, and all of the standard side dishes that accompany them, having a special collection of iconic Texas dishes on hand is a culinary must. But while some chefs prefer to stick to recipes that arrive artfully arranged on a plate, some like to expand their reach to include unique recipes more commonly served in a bowl—in the form of soup. Lana Black, executive sous chef for the Club at Boot Ranch, is one of those culinary innovators. Originally from the Houston suburb of Spring, Black has spent much of her culinary career in small cafe environments serving guests seemingly simple dishes layered with flavor and soul. To her, soups are one of the best ways to deliver this magic. “I like the challenge and complexity involved in making soup. You can take a basic ingredient such as potato and turn it into something that will warm someone’s heart when they take a bite,” says Black. “To me, soups hold memories. When you eat a soup that invokes a memory of childhood or a moment in your life, that’s something special.” While many may view soup as a humble offering, using leftover odds and ends from the kitchen pantry, Black sees soup as a way to stretch her creativity. For her, it’s all about striking a balance among the major components of a good

dish, including salt, acid, heat, and texture, to make either a small starter for a meal or a hearty main event. “Soup is so versatile. Sure, it may be a way to use ingredients in the pantry, but the truth is, you can’t hide behind the finished product,” says Black. “There isn’t a sauce you can use to cover up a mistake.” At the same time, Black believes anyone can make great soup, especially if you keep a few key ingredients on hand. Carrots, onion, and celery are the foundation to almost every recipe, as well as a good chicken, vegetable, or other stock. “Homemade chicken stock is easy to make and holds up well in the freezer,” says Black. “Always have thyme, chili powder, and cumin in your cabinet.” Chili powder and cumin are particularly essential if you’re cooking up a warm pot in Texas. One of Black’s favorite recipes is chicken tortilla soup, a true Tex-Mex classic. “That’s a recipe that always reminds me of cold nights by the fireplace with my mom,” says Black, who also loves stirring up traditional French onion soup. “I love layering all of the flavors together and making a giant pot of it. It’s so soulful.” With her offerings at Boot Ranch, Black hopes to inspire others not to see soup as a simple afterthought but rather as a blank canvas to layer flavor into one memorable pot of soul. —J ESSI C A DU PU Y

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SAVOR

Chicken Tortilla Soup

INGREDIENTS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2-3 Tablespoons olive oil 2 medium sweet yellow onions, diced 2 carrots, diced 1 bunch celery, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced

2. In a large saucepan heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring regularly. Once the vegetables have softened, add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Stir in chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, and salt and cook for one minute. Deglaze the pan with white wine and let the alcohol cook off for about 3 minutes or so. Add chicken stock, tomatoes and black beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer.

3 Tablespoons chili powder 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika 2 Tablespoon cumin 1 Tablespoon coriander 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup dry white wine 8 cups low sodium chicken stock. 2 14-ounce cans crushed tomatoes 1 14-ounce can black beans, rinsed 4 boneless skinless chicken breast 2 ears roasted corn 1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, chopped 2 limes, juiced, plus 1 lime cut into wedges for garnish 1 bunch cilantro (rough chopped) 3 handfuls of tortilla chips

3. Season chicken with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until 165 degrees. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before dicing. Set aside. 4. Add corn, 1 chipotle in adobo sauce, the juice of two limes and a handful of chopped cilantro. Fill a blender pitcher with tortilla chips. Add 2 cups of soup liquid and blend until smooth. Add mixture back to pot. Let simmer for another 15 minutes. 5. Add diced chicken and season with salt and lime to taste. Serve in individual bowls topped with shredded cheese, diced avocado and sour cream, if desired.

Lana Black Executive Sous Chef, Boot Ranch

FOR GARNISH: Shredded cheddar cheese Sour cream Avocado, diced

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DESIGN. BUILD. FURNISH. LIVE.

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Sommelier Jérôme Smojver tailors his wine list to the palates of Boot Ranch members.

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INSIDE

On Vintages & Vintners with Jérôme Smojver

hen it comes to fine dining, wine is commonly considered a complementary addition to a meal, an optional highlight to add to an experience. For Jérôme Smojver, the two are inextricably linked. Smojver is assistant general manager for the Club at Boot Ranch and oversees the wine program. A native of Dijon in the Burgundy region of France, he grew up with wine as an integral part of evening meals. “It’s just part of the culture I grew up in. You’re right in the middle of it there,” he says. “Enjoying food and wine together is part of an overall experience.” That experience is something Smojver has spent most of his career conveying to guests at the different restaurants he has worked for in New York, the Florida Keys, and the Lakeside Country Club in Houston. Having spent many years in hospitality, he’s learned to adjust his wine pairings based on his guests’ interests and comfort levels. “Some people are fairly new to wine and are comfortable with certain styles they’ve already had, like Napa cabernet sauvignon or Oregon pinot noir. Others have been collecting wine for a long time and have a broader range of what

they’re interested in. For me, it’s important to meet them where they are and try to make their experience as full and memorable as possible,” he says. Smojver joined the Boot Ranch team in June of 2021 and has slowly revamped the wine offerings at the club. He began by implementing an iPad wine menu platform to help guests easily take a deeper look at wine selections. He also fashioned a diamond selection menu for guests who want to explore a more premium range of choices. “I took my time trying to get to know the members and the different preferences they have before I started to rework the wine menus. After all, it’s not about creating the wine list I want. It’s about catering to the palates of the customers,” says Smojver. “It’s one of my favorite parts of my job.” In his previous work at Lakeside Country Club, Smojver developed a wine travel option for members, helping to organize and guide wine trips to some of the world’s most iconic wine regions. It’s a pastime he looks forward to continuing with members at Boot Ranch. But you don’t have to hop on a plane to experience Smojver’s expertise in wine regions. Earlier this year,

he helped launch the Wine Society for members interested in access to wines beyond what’s on the clubhouse menu and seasonal wine classes and special wine-centric events throughout the year. Boot Ranch will also offer a wine locker program to members who want to grow a private collection of wines to store and enjoy at the club. “I want everyone to feel like they can participate in the experience of wine. Once people start to learn more about how to taste and the chemistry of pairing food and wine, they start to see and appreciate a different side of things,” says Smojver. In 2022, he plans to launch a monthly food-and-wine-pairing dinner, focusing on specific themes and culinary regions of the world that also happen to be known for wine. “I have found that people are really very open-minded about learning new things when it comes to wine,” says Smojver. “This will be another way to help people along their wine journey.” —J ESSI C A DU PU Y

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Photo by Brian Walters

HILL COUNTRY

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“ I don’t have to take a trip around the world or be on a yacht in the Mediterranean to have happiness. I can find it in the little things, like looking out into my backyard and seeing deer in the fields.” — Q U E E N L AT I FA H

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WE BUILT THE TEAM TO BUILD YOUR HOME Mabery Contracting has grown to a 20+ person company so that we retain total control over the schedule, price and quality of your new Boot Ranch home. Mabery employees perform the framing and finish carpentry to ensure the home’s strength and beauty. And, our CoConstruct technology tool brings our team together with the architect, interior designer, sub-contractors, suppliers and owner so that you are informed and engaged from the eager beginning to delighted end.

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To explore working with the team that has built more than 40 custom Boot Ranch homes, call Matthew Mabery at (830) 990-0501.

See more at MaberyContracting.com

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Photo is courtesy of Milam & Greene ABOVE:

Milam & Greene founder Marsha Milam

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THE PERFECT BLEND OF SKILL AND SPIRIT STORY BY JOHN KOENIG

With prizewinning products and a formidable female leadership team, this Blanco distillery has a unique recipe for success.

n 2015, Marsha Milam went to Cleveland with a longtime client and friend, blues rock guitarist Jimmie Vaughan. The reason: to attend the induction of Jimmie’s late brother, guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. John Mayer was there to induct Stevie Ray. As was Paul McCartney, to induct Ringo Starr. And Stevie Wonder, to induct singer-songwriter Bill Withers. Milam hung out with all of them that weekend. And for the woman who’d built a 30-year career as a concert promoter and music industry publicist, it was a “mountaintop experience.” Yet, it also left her wondering if she hadn’t peaked, if it weren’t time for a change. “I always had this itch in the music business that I could never get scratched,” Milam says. “I’d do a show and have 10,000 people there. And I’d be like, ‘Well, it’s still not 75,000 like ACL (the Austin City Limits Festival).’” A month later, she took a break to tour whiskey distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. She found herself in a dimly lit, nine-story warehouse (or rickhouse, in whiskey parlance) staring at hundreds of oak barrels full of bourbon, stacked on racks, floor to ceiling. “It was so peaceful, so quiet,” she recalls. “I could smell the dirt, the wood, the bourbon. I looked around and realized that all that was happening there was bourbon aging. And it just blew me away. I fell in love with the whole concept of something taking its own sweet time to do what it wanted to do.”

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Milam returned home to Austin sure of what she wanted to do next in her life: make whiskey. Two years later, Milam had a building in the Hill Country town of Blanco for a distillery and tasting room. She had a brand name, that of an ancestor, Ben Milam, who’d been a hero of the Texas Revolution. She had bottles and labels designed. What she lacked was bourbon from her own distillery that had been aged the required minimum of two years before it could be brought to market. Like many whiskey start-ups, she overcame that by finding a source in Kentucky to provide aged whiskey to her taste for the initial product release of Ben Milam bourbon. Unbeknownst to her, an employee entered it in the 2017 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. It won a Double Gold medal, the competition’s highest award. Milam says the ensuing publicity had the fledgling distillery’s phone ringing 10 times a day with orders from liquor retailers wanting to stock the prizewinner. Despite that out-of-the-starting blocks success, Milam realized she’d have to surround herself with people who knew much more about making and marketing whiskey if she was to achieve her vision for Ben Milam whiskey. And her vision was ambitious. She didn’t want to sell only in Texas. “I wanted to be a national brand, but maybe not everywhere,” she says. “I wanted a quality product that’s findable, available on a national level. But not in every liquor store, just in the five finest liquor stores. Or not in every bar, but in the five best steakhouses. I wanted to have a bourbon that people love and aspire to.” Serendipity delivered experts who could help her make that happen. Milam knew she’d need a good distiller, the best she could get. A woman in that role would be nice, she thought, but gender was not critical to her. Still, an acquaintance knew of a woman in Kentucky who just might fit the bill. Her name was Marlene Holmes and she’d been a distiller for Jim Beam for 27 years. Holmes was talking about retiring to her farm, but had also told the acquaintance she might like to work at a small craft distillery where she could make whiskey more creatively. Milam brought her to 28

Austin for an interview in 2018. “I laid it on as thick as I could,” she says. She took Holmes to dinner, to a show at one of Austin’s live-music venues, and to the first Texas Bourbon Festival, which just happened to be taking place at that time at the Bullock Texas State History Museum. Before boarding the plane for her return flight, Holmes agreed to move to Texas. The next step for Milam was expanding her line of whiskeys. A friend from the music industry knew of a former singer-pianist who’d become a whiskey expert, a woman named Heather Greene. Between performing and recording a few albums, Greene had studied whisky-making in Scotland (where it’s whisky, not whiskey), and become the whiskey sommelier at the revered Flatiron Club in New York City and a brand ambassador for Glenlivet Scotch. She’d also written a book, Whisk(e)y Distilled: A Populist Guide to the Water of Life. It was the first book Milam had read when she set out to learn about whiskey. Renowned not only for her vast knowledge but also for her extraordinary senses of taste and smell, Greene was then working as a consultant. She traveled the country from her home in New York, advising whiskey makers on how to make and market products that consumers would love. Milam sought her advice in 2018 for development of the product that would become the distillery’s Triple Cask bourbon. By Greene’s

third consulting trip to Texas, Milam had seen enough. She offered Greene the jobs of master blender and chief executive officer, as well as a partnership in the business. Greene moved to Texas with her husband and dog in early 2019. And thus, Ben Milam became Milam & Greene. Texas didn’t have a single whiskey distillery—at least, not a legal one— until 2006, the year Garrison Brothers was launched in the Hill Country hamlet of Hye. Now there are more than 60, according to the Texas Whiskey Trail, which organizes distillery tours. The proliferation of distilleries here is being mirrored nationwide, partly in response to soaring consumer demand. U.S. whiskey consumption has doubled since 2009. Several Texas distilleries have won awards for their products in competitive events, like the one held each year in San Francisco. But few, if any, have garnered more attention from the national news media than Milam & Greene. The firm’s website contains links to 30 articles that have appeared in the past two years in publications ranging from Wine Enthusiast and Food & Wine, to Forbes and the New York Times. Some of the articles focused on the novelty of women running a whiskey distillery. The Times published an article last July that ran under the headline, “In the Male World of Whiskey, More Women Are Calling the Shots.” A large photo of Greene and

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CEO Heather Greene wrote the book on whiskey.

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ABOVE:

Chief distiller Marlene Holmes.

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The copper pot still custom made for Milam & Greene in Kentucky

Holmes standing before an array of whiskey barrels accompanied the story. To Milam, Greene, and Holmes’ pleasure, more media attention of late has focused on the quality of their whiskey rather than their gender. Forbes reported last August, for instance, that their port-finished rye beat out 550 other contenders to win Best of Show at the annual tasting competition of the American Craft Spirits Association. It also reported that the rye had previously won a double gold medal at the San Francisco competition. That media attention has paid off handsomely. While Greene won’t reveal figures, she says sales have doubled in each of the past two years—this despite a pandemic that has repeatedly shuttered many of the restaurants and bars that Milam & Greene counted on to introduce its whiskeys to customers. The Milam & Greene distillery in Blanco is a modest complex—just two nondescript, mid-size buildings on a three-acre plot tucked behind a NAPA Auto Parts store. The main building houses fermentation tanks, a large copper still, and bottling equipment. Part of it is walled-off and decorated like a dark,

cozy tavern to serve as a tasting room for visitors. Fifty feet away, across a barren patch, stands the barn-like rickhouse where whiskey ages in wood barrels. On a bright Monday afternoon, Greene and Holmes convene in the tasting room to introduce this interviewer to the art and science of whiskey production. And of course, whiskey sniffing and tasting is a required part of the lesson. We sample all three of their mainline products: the Single Barrel, Triple Cask, and Port-Finished Rye whiskeys. Milam & Greene also offers some limited-edition whiskeys, which Greene concocts while experimenting in a laboratory in Austin, where she lives. What is it about Texas that makes Milam & Greene whiskeys different than those produced elsewhere? “It’s not about Texas, it’s about the Hill Country,” Greene corrects. “The Hill Country is its own climate, its own humidity, its own temperature variations throughout the year. Marlene still distills in Kentucky, as well as right here, and we bring back that spirit right away and we get to see how it ages differently than it does in Kentucky. People like to say it ages faster here, but that’s not quite it.

It just ages in a different way. For us, it seems richer, sweeter, more caramelly.” The different flavors and aromas come not from additives, but from the way whiskey interacts with the wood of the barrels in which it’s stored. As outdoor temperatures rise, the whiskey expands, pressing into the wood. And as temperatures fall, the whiskey contracts, pulling flavors back out. The Hill Country’s substantial temperature swings make for a lot of movement. “I tell people it’s like an accordion,” Holmes explains. “Down in Texas, you’re doing the polka. It’s really moving, that accordion is. Up in Kentucky, it’s a little slower. You’re doing a slow dance up there with it.” Their award-winning rye whiskey starts out in Indiana, where the grain is grown, and the whiskey is distilled and aged in oak barrels for three or four years. Then it’s brought to Blanco where it’s finished in barrels that previously held port wine. Holmes expected the rye might have to remain in the port barrels for a year or two before it achieved the flavor they were seeking. But the first batch was ready for market in just two months. “What we got was this best-in-show whiskey that you couldn’t replicate anywhere else,” Greene says. “It’s because of the Hill Country. It’s a representation of how the environment drives flavor uniquely into that product.” Greene and Holmes now direct the art and science of Milam & Greene’s whiskey production. And what about the role of Marsha Milam, the original visionary who brought them to Texas? “We now have people who are far better at everything than I am,” she says. “The one thing I love to do is go see our customers. To go up to Chicago and walk into those liquor stores and see Milam & Greene Single Barrel and Milam & Greene Triple Cask and Milam & Greene Port-Finished Rye, it’s just marvelous. I’m a proud mother.” Milam’s itch that could never get scratched in the music business? It’s getting scratched now, with a chaser. ISSUE 3

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ABOVE: Dian Stai with her constant companion Mia.

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ENDURING GRATITUDE ST O RY BY L O R I M O F FAT T

Entrepreneur, preservationist, and philanthropist Dian Graves Owen Stai shares her passion and prosperity with the Fredericksburg community.

ost conversations with Texas businesswoman and philanthropist Dian Graves Owen Stai return to a common theme: gratitude. Whether the topic is entrepreneurism and its inherent risk-taking, the cute “thank you” cards she receives from 4-H kids in her local Gillespie County area, or the pillar of faith that supports her generosity, Dian says she’s thankful both for the gifts she’s been given and her ability to share them with her community. But examining the inspiration for her generosity isn’t an intellectual exercise she’s much interested in. “I like to help,” she says, simply. “Why do we do things? They bring us joy. I feel as though I have been blessed so I can bless others.” A few miles north of Fredericksburg’s historic district, a fire blazes in the stone hearth of the residence Dian calls Ledgecroft, a low-slung, modern home named for the gently palisaded landscape surrounding it. A gentle winter rain falls outside, droplets forming like chandelier crystals on native grasses and the gnarled boughs of century-old live oaks. Outside, sculptures she has collected with her husband, Harlan, provide a sense of unexpected whimsy to a timeless Texas landscape that hasn’t changed much in centuries. It’s one of Dian’s missions to see that the land and its history endures.

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With cinnamon-colored hair cut in a stylish layers and a trim physique she maintains “by being on the go, constantly,” Dian ushers me in from the rain with an umbrella in hand. Her attentive Bichon Frise, a fluffy cotton ball named Mia, snuggles up beside her on one of four gray loveseats encircling a cocktail table fashioned from a slice of petrified wood. The art surrounding us—a folk-art fox made of antique lace, a fossilized palm leaf that dates back millions of years, a portrait of a whale rendered in cream and cobalt, an abstract canvas painted with dirt from a Utah cave—reflect interests in nature, the earth, and dedication to craft. I catch a glimpse of my rain-mussed hair, and when I confess sheepishly that I’d normally be wearing a hat, I’m treated to my first taste of Dian’s sense of humor. We share an affinity for hats, it seems, and I’m unsure about contemporary Texas hat etiquette. “Oh,” she assures me graciously, “wearing a hat inside is okay for ladies, but a gentleman always takes his hat off when he goes into a room. Of course, in my day if you were going to wear a hat after 6, it had better be a cocktail hat.” I’m rapt as Dian reflects on nearly six decades as one of Texas’ most successful businesswomen, her West Texas work ethic and self-taught business acumen, her long history of charitable giving, and her zeal for historic preservation. The Dian Graves Owen Foundation, which she founded in 1998, has bestowed more than 100 million dollars on organizations in Gillespie County and her adopted hometown of Abilene. These grants (nearly 600 in the Fredericksburg area since 1999) enrich programs across many sectors, including health and social services, education, historic preservation, faith, arts, and animal welfare. Growing up in Midland and the sparsely populated countryside near Sonora, where the Graves family relocated in response to the country’s polio epidemic, Dian and her two brothers witnessed grassroots philanthropy first-hand. “The integrity and honesty that rules my life now was formed when I was young. Daddy worked on the pipelines, and while Mother always said we were middle class, she was putting on airs,” says Dian with her easy laugh. “But she was always doing things for people; cooking, sewing, helping. If she had made a casserole for dinner and someone down the street was ill, or in need, I knew we were going to have half a casserole that night.” She attributes her curiosity, observant nature, and affinity for conversation to her father. On family vacations, while her mother and brothers snoozed, Dian kept her father company and developed a love for Texas history and geography. “Cars back then had a hump in the back of the car, where the drive shaft went,” recalls Dian. “The carpet was always worn off because I’d stand there for five hours talking in Daddy’s ear.” 34

Dian Stai’s road to success is lined with vision, tragedy, determination, faith, and generosity. As the 1970s unfolded, Dian and her husband Jean Owen, a pharmacist who’d recently lost his job, saw a business opportunity in hospital pharmacy management. Together, the couple founded Owen Healthcare in Abilene. The company was expanding at a brisk clip when Jean died in a plane crash in 1976. Tasked with running the company herself, Dian resisted corporate sharks who aimed to put her out of business and successfully ushered Owen Healthcare through a difficult transition. The company continued to grow, eventually recording annual revenue of more than $500 million and providing services to hospitals and healthcare providers in 43 states. In 1984, in what Dian calls one of her proudest moments, she established an Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP), which enabled many of her employees—among them secretaries, clerks, and pharmacists—to become millionaires when she sold Owen Healthcare the following decade. “It was the right thing to do,” says Dian. “These were wonderful young people who were smart, hard-working, and loyal, and they were the ones who built the company.” In 1998, Dian founded her second company, a private-equity firm called Mansefeldt Investment Corporation. Its diversified interests include one of the largest privately-owned mineral holdings in the Permian Basin. The company’s tremendous success allowed her to establish the Dian Graves Owen Foundation, which today forms the framework of much of her charitable giving. One would be hard-pressed to find an organization in the Fredericksburg area that hasn’t benefitted from the foundation’s generosity, though longtime Grants Administrator Jane Beard notes Dian rarely seeks recognition. “Dian lives with a spirit of generosity and gratitude,” Beard says. “She is far too modest to want attention for the grants. Instead, she works to make sure that the volunteers—the backbone of these organizations—get the credit they deserve.” In fact, much of the foundation’s philanthropy remains relatively invisible to the public eye. There is dental care and addiction treatment for those unable to afford it otherwise; mammography equipment and Covid support for the Hill Country Memorial Hospital; soccer fields, scoreboards, scholarships, and library improvements for local high schools. There’s support for a new shelter for the Hill Country Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, grants to restore the Odeon Theater in nearby Mason, and funds to repair fire damages sustained by the Mason County Courthouse. The foundation supports the Fredericksburg Theater Company, the Fredericksburg Chorale, and the Gillespie County Youth Livestock Show. It’s an exhaustive list of worthy recipients that extends far beyond the

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Here and on the following pages, Dian Stai gives a tour of the Mansefeldt Ranch property she has restored. ISSUE 2

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Fredericksburg area. In her adopted hometown of Abilene, for example, the foundation is spearheading the transformation of the city’s 1923 public high school, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, into a library and learning center. Yet in Fredericksburg, evidence of Dian Stai’s philanthropy reveals itself via improvements to three public-facing entities that help form the community’s identity: The National Museum of the Pacific War; the three-acre campus of the Pioneer Museum, and Marktplatz, the landscaped park surrounding a 1935 replica of the city’s iconic, octagonal Vereins Kirche, site of Fredericksburg’s first church and school. The foundation bestowed its first grant to the National Museum of the Pacific War and the Admiral Nimitz Foundation in 1999, helping construct the internationally acclaimed George H.W. Bush Gallery of the Pacific War. This 33,000-square-foot expansion not only allowed the museum to present much of its collection for the first time—including maps, correspondence, uniforms, weapons, and personal items ranging from Admiral Nimitz’ cribbage board to his family Bible. It also created climatecontrolled storage for materials that had previously been scattered across storage sites in town. Other grants digitized the museum’s oral history

“ Dian lives with a spirit of generosity and gratitude,” Beard says. “She is far too modest to want attention for the grants. Instead, she works to make sure that the volunteers—the backbone of these organizations—get the credit they deserve.”

archives (now 5,500-strong), helped renovate the TBM Avenger exhibit at the Pacific Combat Zone, renovate the ballroom of the original Nimitz Hotel (center of 19th-Century social life in Fredericksburg), and create the Olveta Culp Hobby Education Center, which more than 18,000 students visited last year in-person or virtually. “Dian has made a tremendous impact on our ability to tell the stories of those average young men and women who served the country in extraordinary circumstances,” says General Mike Hagee, president and CEO of the Admiral Nimitz Foundation and the National Museum of the Pacific War. “I’ve seen kids come in who never really knew their grandparents, but their oral histories are here,”

Hagee continues. “They can listen to them talk about their experiences and sometimes recognize their voices. Most importantly, it gives them a personal connection to that time. My own dad’s oral history is here, so I know it really means something.” Dian’s passion for historic preservation shines across town at the Gillespie County Historical Association’s Pioneer Museum complex. Nine restored historic buildings here, from a blacksmith shop to the “Sunday Houses” once used by farmers when they came to town for business and church services, illustrate early life in Fredericksburg. The Historical Association also manages the Old Jail, the Vereins Kirche, and the Pioneer Schandua House. Together, the sites welcome more than 40,000 visitors annually. “Dian’s support over the past 20 years has allowed us to meet ADA requirements, create interpretive programming, modernize our orientation plaza, digitize and store archives, and underwrite fundraising across a number of projects,” says David Shields, executive director of the association and the Pioneer Museum. “She doesn’t insist on specifics, but rather listens to what we need.” Former mayor Tim Crenwelge, current chair of the Market Square Redevelopment Commission, notes Dian’s contributions to restoring the city’s historic Marktplatz, including improved bathrooms, playgrounds and meeting spaces. “When I became mayor in 2000, I got a phone call from Dian,” Crenwelge recalls. “She came to City Hall for a meeting, and I asked her, ‘What can I do for you?’ And she said, ‘No, what can I do for you?’” Whether it was by buying land for the Historical Society, moving an endangered historic building block-by-block to a new location, or honoring the late restoration architect ISSUE 3

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John Klein, whose work is on view throughout the city, Dian has established a model for philanthropy in the city. Klein, who passed away in August 2021, worked with Dian on numerous restoration projects. Those included a cluster of 19th-century structures—a limestone main house, kitchen house, sheep barn, carriage house, and blacksmith shop—at the Stais’ Mansefeldt Ranch property. “I had wanted to live there since I first saw it as a child,” remembers Dian. “I was seven or eight years old when I first saw the main house. We’d be driving back to West Texas from a vacation in the Hill Country, and I’d beg Daddy to stop, but he always had to get back to work. To me, it looked like a village, with a church and a home that looked like a courthouse.” She kept an eye on it as an adult, too, but longtime owner Kermit Kothe wasn’t much interested in selling. “I was in Europe when a friend in Texas called to say it was finally for sale,” Dian recalls. “I got right back and shared with him my dream of restoring the buildings, of stabilizing them for the next hundred years.” The sale went through in 1997, and Dian finally had her home in Fredericksburg. “Mr. Kothe told me he was waiting until the right person came along,” she says. Dian and Harlan had known each other since 1972. “My late husband and I hired him to operate a pharmacy in El Paso,” says Dian. “After I merged my company with Cardinal Healthcare in 1997 and moved to Fredericksburg, we reconnected.” The couple married in 2000 and built what’s now their primary residence, the contemporary Ledgecroft home, across the street from Mansefeldt. “There are a lot of advantages to a modern home—enclosed garage, Dian and Harlan Stai at the circus wagon where they spent their wedding night

single-level living, the views,” says Dian. “And because we were across the street, we were on the job site every day, working intensely with the architect.” I’m interested to see the historic property that was Dian’s inspiration all these years. We hop into her car, and with Mia on her lap, we drive across the street, taking a brief detour to pass the cemetery where Fredericksburg founder John O. Meusebach is buried. “We don’t own the cemetery,” says Dian, “but we take care of it.” Beyond a stone gate inscribed “Mansefeldt,” hand-hewn cedar fencing surrounds the gently rolling landscape, punctuated by a pond where her grandchildren fish, outdoor sculptures from around the world, a birdwatching pavilion, and even a purple circus wagon from Castroville, which was originally pulled by elephants. “That’s where Harlan and I spent our wedding night. We gave away all the other rooms to family,” Dian says with a laugh. Just past a pistol-shaped barbecue rig that the Stais received as a gift, we enter the restored barn, which now hosts events and fundraisers for organizations the couple support, such as the Houston Grand Opera (Harlan is on the board). “We have the 4-H appreciation dinner in our barn every year,” Dian says. “The kids wait on tables and do all the clean-up, and they’re so cute in their clean jeans and big belt buckles. You can hear the starch crackle in their shirts.” With a commercial kitchen and walls covered with opera ephemera and artwork both modern and traditional, the old sheep barn has come a long way since it was built in the 1870s. Restoration of the main house, barn, and other structures on site took more than two years. “Mr. Kothe had done a beautiful job of doing nothing,” Dian says with her signature chuckle. “There was no bad restoration to undo.” She points out the original, hand-chiseled limestone walls, which had been covered with plaster but left intact and undamaged. “Can you imagine? This was all quarried by hand, brought here by ox-cart, and laid without hydraulics.” Dian called for imagination in the restoration, too, and is especially fond of how they incorporated the old cistern into the kitchen design. “It’s handdug, rock-lined, and 40 feet deep,” says Dian. “And when we wanted to add the kitchen, there it was. We thought about glassing it over, but we decided to use it as the base for our breakfast table. Isn’t that fun?” She’s kept the hand-cranked operating mechanism outside so that children can see how people once had to bring water to the house. “What will we be if we lose our history?” Dian asks, reflecting on her role in preservation, education, and philanthropy over the years. “Gratitude, absolutely, drives my desire to share what I have. There is no reason in the world why I should have been as successful as I’ve been. Yes, I have worked hard, but so do many people. It brings me great joy to give back.”

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Building Relationships ONE HOME AT A TIME DMB Custom Homes creates one-of-a-kind Boot Ranch homes of lasting beauty, value and quality. Our success is measured by the enduring relationships we build along the way with our clients, design partners, suppliers, and subcontractors.

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DMB Custom Homes

DMBCustomHomes.com Call Deven Baughn at (830) 279-4230 to discuss your vision for Boot Ranch living. Rendering of 181 Spicewood Trail under construction at Boot Ranch

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Barbara Lecuona and Mary Anne Waldrip

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WINE, WOMEN, AND DETERMINATION STORY BY JESSICA DUPUY

A friendship that began at a Boot Ranch wine tasting has grown into a partnership based on that shared passion.

t’s a Saturday afternoon in the Hill Country, and the thoroughfare of State Highway 290 is abuzz with wine enthusiasts flitting from one tasting room to the next like hummingbirds in a summer garden. At one of the newest tasting rooms, Mary Anne Waldrip is welcoming first-time visitors and checking in a party for a special reserve tasting. Her staff is guiding other guests through a selection of wines, each with a unique story. From the elevated deck of the sleek, modern building, visitors look out over an expansive terraced landscape, with a nascent vineyard stretching its new canes towards the sun and a grove of oak trees tempting them with shade. Meanwhile, winemaker Barbara Lecuona is tinkering around in the adjacent winery, still under construction. Soon it will be her workspace for receiving grapes from harvest, cleaning fermentation tanks, or zooming wine barrels around on a forklift. This is Siboney Cellars, one of the latest additions to the Hill Country wine scene, and the fulfillment of a shared dream for these two hard-working women.

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If you had asked Barbara 10 years ago if she’d be launching her own Texas wine label and a full-scale winery and tasting room, she would have said you were crazy. After all, she already had a career as owner of a title insurance company. Even after she and husband Miguel moved from her native Pennsylvania to San Antonio in 2011, launching a second career in the Texas wine industry was far from anything on her vision board. But as John Lennon once sang, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” Having originally met at a wine school in Philadelphia, the Lecuonas had long enjoyed wine together, traveling to some of the world’s most iconic wine regions from Napa to Bordeaux. Barbara had taken a few wine classes to better understand how to taste wines from around the world. But her first experience with Texas wine with was a revelation. Miguel was working in marketing at a telecommunications company in San Antonio when in 2011 he received a bottle of Texas wine from a colleague. He took it home to share with his wife. “We were both doubtful about what we would discover, but we were actually amazed. It was fantastic,” says Barbara. The wine was a Malbec from Hye-based William Chris Vineyards. For both it was a catalyst, encouraging them to not only be consumers of Texas wine, but to become actively involved in its production. The day after receiving the William Chris wine, Miguel quit his telecom job and went to the Hye winery to offer his services as a marketing consultant. A day later, he began working there. In 2014, the couple moved to Fredericksburg to be closer to the region’s rapidly growing wine industry. Barbara continued to run her title insurance business, but began mentioning to winemakers they met her interest in helping out. “I honestly wasn’t sure if anyone would take me seriously,” she says. “I’m sure there are a lot of people who offer to help without really knowing what they’re getting into.” To her surprise, wineries began taking her up on the offer. In 2015,

she worked at several vineyards, pruning vines and harvesting grapes. Ben Calais of Hye-based Calais and French Connections wineries called one afternoon in 2016 and said he was looking for volunteers to help crush grapes that night. “He told me to show up at one o’clock in the morning. So I met him and his crew in the middle of the night.” The work was hard and lasted through daybreak, with the team transferring bins of grapes into Calais’ facility. While some may have shied away from such a labor-intensive endeavor, Barbara was hooked. “I loved it. I was tired. I was filthy. But it was invigorating.” She became a volunteer “cellar rat” with other wineries. That wasn’t enough to satisfy her, though. She also enrolled in the Viticulture and Enology programs at Texas Tech University. In 2017, the Lecuonas decided to start producing wines themselves, with Barbara as winemaker. She brokered space with Hawk’s Shadow Winery in Dripping Springs for production and bought grapes from growers in the High Plains near Lubbock, a common practice among upstart wineries. The first release was a rosé blend called “Coral” under the label Siboney Cellars. The Siboney name came from a popular Cuban love song written in 1929 by Miguel’s uncle, Ernesto Lecuona. It is pronounced see-bo-nay. With income from her title insurance firm and Miguel’s growing marketing and photography business, the two were able to grow the brand, making more wines by using facilities and storage space from other wineries to produce it. But that wasn’t enough for them either. They couldn’t shake the desire to establish their own place. “We began to dream about taking the next steps to establish a winery and vineyard for Siboney Cellars. But the main question was, ‘how?’” Barbara says. Enter Mary Anne Waldrip. She and husband Bill were new additions to Boot Ranch in 2015 and were eager to become better acquainted with the area. Having traveled extensively through Napa, Sonoma, and Oregon, the Waldrips were already big fans of wine, but Mary

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ABOVE: Siboney Cellars partners Miguel and Barbara Lecuona and Mary Anne and Bill Waldrip

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Anne was unfamiliar with Texas wines. As a way to meet people, she signed up for a wine tasting class offered to Boot Ranch members. As luck would have it, Barbara also attended the class, thanks to Miguel frequently shooting marketing photos for Boot Ranch. The day included seminars and a tour of a few of the area’s wineries. Mary Anne and Barbara became fast friends, sharing life stories and a similar passion for wine. “The time with Barbara made me really want to take my enthusiasm for wine to the next level,” says Mary Anne. “I was so curious about the process it took to get grapes from the vineyard to the glass.” After 25 years of working as a church youth director, she was eager to try something new. Like Barbara, she began volunteering at area wineries to learn the ropes of winemaking and winery management. She did everything from harvesting grapes, to bottling wine, to packing up cases, to punching down grapes, the latter being the process of adding color and complexity to wine by pushing the skins of the grapes down into the grape juice during fermentation. “I did it all, and I loved every minute of it,” she says. “I remember the first time I helped with punch-downs. We were working with Tannat grapes, which have very thick skins. The cap of grape skins [that had risen to the top] was so thick we had to use our arms to push them down into the juice. I was in grape juice, stems, and skin up to my shoulders. I remember thinking, ‘My skin is going to be really exfoliated by the end of this!’” When the Lecuonas shared their dream of one day opening their own winery, the Waldrips felt an urge to help them – not only financially, but with day-to-day operations as well. Having spent most of his career in the oil and gas industry and as founder of a private equity firm, Bill felt he could lend advice on how to structure the business. Mary Anne was eager to contribute her gifts in hospitality. Finding their interests, work ethic and business goals aligned, the couples formed a partnership. They set about in search of a property that would accommodate a full-scale production

facility and tasting room, as well as provide a good site for a vineyard. “The vineyard has always been my first love,” says Barbara. “I firmly believe that wine is made in the vineyard. Without good quality grapes, you can’t make good wine.” In 2019, the team broke ground on a property between Hye and Johnson City, setting up outdoor seating beneath a shady grove of oak trees to begin accepting visitors while the winery was under construction. Barbara focused on Siboney wine production, which was taking place at Kerrville Hills Winery, while Mary Anne managed construction, design, and hospitality at their new site. “It has been a gift for us to be able to divide things up so easily,” says Barbara.. “Mary Anne has a real eye for design and is fantastic with guests. It’s allowed me to stay focused on the wine itself.” The tasting room opened in January, accepting reservations and walk-ins alike. The production facility is expected to be ready for the 2022 harvest in August. Meanwhile, the team has already planted four acres of Merlot grapes and plans to add more vineyards in the coming years. Today, guests can enjoy a wide selection of Siboney wines from Rhône and Bordeaux whites and red blends to a sparkling rosé and a port-style wine. The project has required Barbara and Mary Anne to give their all. But the two say it has really been their team of four that made it possible. “If you’re an entrepreneur, you’re always an entrepreneur,” says Barbara. “If something needs to get done, you’re going to do it, whether that’s Mary Anne walking the work site for a punch list with the builder or me hopping on a forklift to move barrels. With Miguel’s experience in marketing and web development and Bill’s business formation background, we have a pretty solid team to make a dream come true.” Has it been hard work? Yes, of course. But Barbara quickly adds, “None of it’s that hard when you consider we get to share the beauty of Texas wine at a Texas vineyard in the middle of the Texas Hill Country.”

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ABOVE: Bruce Williams and Linda Davis in their game room.

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A TREASURED COLLECTION STORY BY ANNE MCCREADY HEINEN

Every picture (and memento) tells a story in the thoughtful Boot Ranch home of Linda Davis and Bruce Williams.

inda Davis and Bruce Williams turned to an expert architect and builder for their Boot Ranch home, finished in 2014. But for the warm, casually elegant interior, the couple confidently relied on their own taste and intuition, bringing in art and decor they had handpicked and enjoyed in previous homes in Houston, Del Mar, California, and Mountain Home, Texas. The result is a comfortable, sophisticated 8,700-squarefoot house that showcases the couple’s beloved art and sports memorabilia collections, while also providing plenty of room for entertaining and relaxing. “I wanted to bring in elements of the home we built in Houston because I loved what we had,” Davis says. During construction in Fredericksburg, “We were in California, and I’d be up at 6 a.m. with the time difference, on the phone and computer, because it was a labor of love. I like everything about the planning, building, and decorating of a home.”

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Adds Williams, “Linda was hands-on through the whole project with the architect, Gary Williams (no relation), and the builder, Centurion Custom Homes. She was intimately involved with everything.” Situated on 13 acres overlooking the sixth fairway of the Boot Ranch Golf Course, the home is clad in multicolored stone from the same Oklahoma quarry used for the couple’s Houston home. Strategically placed, large windows provide expansive views of the sky, Hill Country vistas that change with the season, and the golf course. Interior plaster walls are accented by hand-scraped, walnut-wood floors and substantial wooden beams and accent arches. A main hallway is inlaid with six equal-arm wooden crosses in subtle yet prominent homage to White Cross Ranch, Davis’s family heritage, and to the couple’s faith. “We believe we’re here because God led us here, and He has a purpose for us being here,” Williams says, adding that their faith steered them to do a house blessing with their Houston pastor and friends that included planting scripture, Bibles, and prayers in the walls of the under-construction home. The couple’s favorite scripture is Luke 10:27: “He answered, ‘Love the Lord 50

your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind,’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Raised in California, Williams has lived in the Lone Star State since 1979. (“I got to Texas as fast as I could,” he says.) A former oil and gas company executive and an owner of the downtown Houston restaurant Irma’s Southwest, Williams is a devout member and supporter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Davis proudly hails from Midland. The couple met when both worked in the oil and gas industry in Houston in the 1980s—their home base until the move to Fredericksburg, though in the intervening years they also got away from it all by spending time at their ranch in Mountain Home and their ocean-view home in Del Mar. They recently sold both of those properties, opting to simplify their lives with the Boot Ranch home and a Hill Country ranch that’s a 10-minute drive up the road. Their 1,700-square-foot guest house at Boot Ranch serves as home for Davis’s mother. The pair’s collections include a select assortment of mostly-18th-century tortoiseshell cases and mirrors, informally grouped on a great room coffee table,

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Photos by John R. Rogers

THIS PAGE: The DavisWilliams home is situated on 13 acres overlooking the golf course. Oklahoma stone and timber beams are architectural hallmarks, inside and out.

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Photos by John R. Rogers

ABOVE: The Kevin Red Star painting “Pretty Shawl” set the colors in Davis’s favorite room which also includes a John Pavlicek collage above the sofa, columns from Barcelona, and mirrors from France. RIGHT: Antique porcelain Staffordshire Cavalier Spaniels and a portrait by Andre Balyon are displayed in memory of their pet Cavalier, Eliza. OPPOSITE: A Balyon landscape is the family room focal point.

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Photos by John R. Rogers

and antique porcelain Staffordshire Cavalier Spaniels, displayed in memory of their pet Cavalier, Eliza. Davis’s lovingly acquired Native American baskets, turquoise, and pottery include works from tribes including Apache and Pima, and by artists such as Maria Martinez and Lucy Lewis. The pieces are prominently housed in a tall cabinet near the front door. But the couple’s collecting passions are fully reflected in mostly contemporary landscape and modern paintings found throughout the home, as well as in Williams’s extensive collection of autographed sports jerseys, pennants, balls, and helmets, thoughtfully displayed on the home’s lower level. While both the art and sports memorabilia have value, Davis and Williams collect for personal, intrinsic reasons. The beauty and technique behind the paintings speak to them both, and Williams’s excitement for sports, athletes, and sports collectibles—linking back to his childhood baseball card collection— is palpable. The Dutch painter André Balyon, who resides in California, is well represented at the Davis-Williams home. With still lifes and landscapes reminiscent of George Inness, John Singer Sargent, and other artists who inspire him,

Baylon’s painterly, realistic scenes are among Davis’s favorites. Davis relates that Baylon once visited them, and after seeing his paintings throughout the home, he remarked, “You’ve got more of my work than I have.” Other artists whose work is displayed in spaces from powder rooms to hallways include painter G. Harvey, Austin collage artist John Pavlicek, Kevin Red Star of the Crow tribe, minimalist sculptor Pascal Pierme, early California artist S.C. Yuan, a nd contemporary Australian artist Joshua Smith. “You just buy what you love,” Davis says. Some of the art provides visual enjoyment and conceals televisions at the same time, sliding aside at the touch of a remote control to reveal a large screen. The automation fits with the home’s Lutron lighting, a system that Davis fully embraced in Houston as well. As a result, the Boot Ranch home operates on a sophisticated, practical, whole-home lighting and shade control system. “It allows you to loop together certain lights and control them from your phone or a tabletop control,” Davis explains. “You can also control the intensity of the lights. We go to bed at night and I don’t have to worry if Bruce turned off the lights in the game room. I touch one ISSUE 3

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Francisco 49ers football scenes, including the Joe Montana to Dwight Clark catch that beat the Dallas Cowboys for the 1982 NFC championship. “Too Tall Jones (who played for the Cowboys) is in this print,” Williams says. “He was out here once for a golf tournament, and I asked him, ‘What happened on that catch?’ He was still mad about it all these years later.” Williams encountered many players through his affiliation with the Fellowship of Christan Athletes, and as he gathered autographs, he asked each to include a favorite scripture number on their jersey or pennant as well. Community worship at Boot Ranch shows up in Haus Church, a gathering of the faithful who take turns hosting religious services at their homes, including the couple’s. “We’ve had a number of local homeowners who God has raised up, both men and women, who give a message, and we pray, sing, and have church,” Williams says. He adds, “We get to wake up every morning and say, ‘God, what are we doing today?’ We’re very intentional about using this home for God’s purposes and kingdom.”

Photo this page, bottom right by John R. Rogers

button by my bed and it turns off all the lights that we’ve programmed to turn off at nighttime.” Williams’s sports memorabilia collection began, as so many do, with his childhood baseball cards. Today he has baseball, football, and basketball cards, including a prized Michael Jordan rookie card, and fourteen signed baseball jerseys from select players, including Roger Clemens, Hank Aaron, and Nolan Ryan. More than 55 baseballs, many from key games, are signed by Hall of Fame players, including Mickey Mantle and Johnny Bench. From the golf world, Willliams has collected 17 autographed Masters Tournament flags with signatures from greats like Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus. Joe Montana and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown are among the signatories on 22 footballs. His collection also includes two basketballs and two football helmets. Many items are displayed along the hallways, shelves, and walls of the lower-level game room and office, which also holds a beautifully crafted desk built by Williams’s father, as well as numbered LeRoy Neiman prints. His California roots led Williams to collect Neiman’s San

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Photo this page, bottom right by John R. Rogers

ABOVE: The lower-level game room contains much of Williams’s sports memorabilia collection, including a signed Hank Aaron game jersey. OPPOSITE: The cellar houses the couple’s wine collection and tasting room.

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Photo by Trish Rawls

ABOVE: Historic Main Street in Fredericksburg is the heart of this thriving town.

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WHY FREDERICKSBURG?

magine you own and manage a U.S. manufacturing company whose factories are in Mexico. Where would you have your home and headquarters? Or where would you choose to live if you were an executive with a global technology company, leading sales efforts across several states? Or if you were a lawyer charged with protecting the trademark of a major retail chain everywhere it operates around the world? Most enterprising professionals like that would probably gravitate to large metropolitan areas, ones with major airports. But not Mickey and Teresa Dunn or Chris and Allison McDade—the people just described. They chose the Hill Country town of Fredericksburg. Why Fredericksburg? We asked them. And we asked how they work and live in a place that’s somewhat off the beaten path. Here are their stories.

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THE DUNNS In 1990, Mickey Dunn started a company in his native Georgia that cut and sewed fabrics for apparel manufacturers. Having played baseball a decade before at what is now Kennesaw State University, he named it Major League Inc. In the years since, the privately held company has moved all of its manufacturing to plants in Mexico and diversified to make products for the automobile industry, including seat covers, steering wheels, and air bags. With the diversification came a new name, ML Industries. Along the way, Mickey met Mexico-born Teresa Ground, who was a regional manager for VF Corporation, one of the world’s largest apparel manufacturers. She became Mrs. Dunn and ML’s chief operating officer. The company’s old name may be gone, but “major league” still describes what it has become. ML now has five plants in Mexico and employs 5,000 people worldwide. It produces 250,000 airbags a week, making it the largest privately held airbag company in all of North America. And more than 470 million vehicles now have at least one ML part in them. The Dunns oversee it all from their home and headquarters in Fredericksburg. How did they come to be there? By a somewhat circuitous route. They first moved from Georgia to McAllen, Texas, in 2004 to be closer to their factories. During weekend getaways, they discovered the Hill Country and the Rose Hill Manor (now Rose Hill Retreat) bed and breakfast in Stonewall. “It was quite a place, a Victorian home overlooking 25 acres,” Mickey says. “We really enjoyed it and would go every six months. On one of those trips, we decided to visit Fredericksburg and fell in love with the place.” They loved it so much that they moved both themselves and the company there in 2012. At first, they occupied a home in town. But in 2015, they saw an ad on TV 58

for Boot Ranch. They were intrigued. “Right away, we wanted to find out where Boot Ranch was,” Teresa says. “We laugh about how surprised we were that it was only 15 minutes from our house.” They joined the Club to play golf, then bought a 14-acre lot overlooking the 6th fairway, breaking ground on a home there in 2019. Completed in 2021, the 10,000-squarefoot home was built for fun and entertainment, with a sports bar dubbed Dunn’s Saloon, a golf simulator room, a home gym, an elegant wine cellar, a bunk room for visiting grandchildren, and a guest house. Mickey likes to cook for their guests. “We have kitchens everywhere,” says Teresa, laughing—one in the main house, one in the guest house, another in the Saloon, and one outside equipped with a smoker and Green Egg grill. “It does look massive,” Teresa says of the single-story house. “But we built a very functional home and everything is very organized, which takes pressure off of us. It’s made our life simpler, which is important because we run a very complicated business.” While they maintain the headquarters in town, the Dunns work primarily

from their compact home office. “Instead of having big, traditional, separates offices (in the house), we did one office with everything together,” she says. “We can work side by side and talk about business. And if one of us has a conversation going on, the other can step out.” Teresa adds, “We’ve been doing this for years. It’s nothing new for us to work from the house and then travel (to the factories).” Fredericksburg may be farther from the plants than McAllen is, but that’s not a problem for the Dunns. They have their own private jet and pilot based at the Fredericksburg airport. “We can get on our plane and be at our factories in an hour and 15 minutes,” she says. And because of the pandemic, most of their factory meetings now happen online. The business itself may be complicated, but running it from Fredericksburg: “It’s not complicated at all,” Teresa says. And at the end of the work day, they’re just a five-minute drive from the Boot Ranch Clubhouse, where they like to dine. And even closer to the Metzger Market, where they like to get ice cream. “The ice cream is the best,” Mickey says. Adds Teresa, “Boot Ranch and our house are perfect for the life we live.”

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LEFT: The Dunns enjoy 20-mile Hill Country views from their east-facing rear terraces. BELOW: Mickey and Teresa Dunn.

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TOP: Chris and Allison McDade. ABOVE: The McDade’s moved to Fredericksburg so their three daughters could thrive in the small community. RIGHT: The daughters each have their own hobbies in and out of Boot Ranch.

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THE McDADES Chris and Allison McDade were a big-city couple with big-city careers. Chris is a senior manager with Apple, responsible for sales to educational institutions and state and local governments across the country. Allison is a trademark attorney and worked for Dallas-based 7-Eleven for many years, protecting the retail chain’s brand worldwide. Both grew up in Dallas. They moved to Austin in 1998 when Chris landed a job with Apple, then returned to Dallas in 2012 to be closer to their families. Their jobs enabled them to work from almost any home base. Over the years, they visited Fredericksburg often. They liked both its appearance and its friendly, small-town atmosphere—a relaxing reprieve from urban life. They liked it so much, in fact, that they bought a lot at Boot Ranch with the idea of eventually building a retirement home there.

However, a upcoming event caused them to accelerate their plan in 2017. Their oldest daughter, Paige, would be starting high school in just a few years. In Dallas, that could mean attending a public school with 900 students in her graduating class. Chris and Allison thought about their visits to Fredericksburg. “We’d talk to teenagers we’d meet in town, and they all liked growing up here, being big fish in a smaller pond,” Allison says. They thought about the life they wanted for Paige and her younger sisters, Caroline and Leah. In Dallas, they would be just the opposite of the Fredericksburg kids, small fish in a very big pond. The parents realized that was not how they wanted them to grow up. So that year, the family moved to Fredericksburg, buying a house for interim quarters, and began construction on their Boot Ranch home. They moved in in late 2020. As their parents hoped, the girls have thrived in Fredericksburg. Paige, who is now 15, plays on the Fredericksburg High School golf team. Caroline, 13, plays tennis and volleyball. And Leah, 10, is engaged in a town theater program. She recently launched rockets from the Boot Ranch activity field. Meanwhile, their parents are able to continue working—now from their new home. Chris spends most of his job time on the phone or online, with occasional trips to call on customers. “My job has always been nearly 100 percent email,” Allison says, “So it wasn’t all that weird to work remotely.” She resigned from her job with 7-Eleven in 2020, but continues to handle project assignments for the company. And, she says, “I run a free Uber service for the kids. I’m also playing mah-jongg, which is not something I ever thought I’d be doing, and heading an auction for a gala at the hospital.” In other words, the entire family has happily embraced life in this smaller pond. “It’s a fantastic place to have as a home base for work and to raise a family,” says Chris. “The amount of time I can spend with my daughters and how much we do outdoors has exceeded my expectations.”

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BACK AT THE RANCH

What’s Next for Boot Ranch?

On the not-too-distant horizon lies the day when development of Boot Ranch will be finished. Terra Verde Group and Wheelock Street Capital have been leading the project since late 2015, when they acquired Boot Ranch from Lehman Brothers. Recently, John Koenig, editor of The Boot, spoke with development and operating partner Mark Enderle about the final stages of the project and what will happen once the job is done. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.

Q: What’s on tap near-term for

Boot Ranch?

Mark Enderle, Boot Ranch Operating Partner

A: The infrastructure is in place to begin doing a second round of significant core amenities. So this year we’ll build and finish the Racquet Club, which is a pickleball-tennis-playfield amenity right in the middle of Nordenhill, the northern half of the 2,000-acre property. We’re in the process of designing a Lake Club expansion, which will include a casual restaurant, pool, party barn and amphitheater. You’ll be able to go there to have lunch, hang out at Longhorn Lake, have a wedding or listen to a concert. It will round out the family amenities associated with Boot Ranch.

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BACK AT THE RANCH

The other amenity we’ll do while building the Lake Club is the Gun Club on the north side of the property. The Gun Club will be a sporting clays course, replacing the current trap and skeet range, and have a pavilion and archery component. Q: And on the residential side? A: We’ll be finishing the 150 to 180 lots we

have left to develop. The goal here is to match the development of the amenities with the sale of these last lots.

Q: How many residential units will there be

at Boot Ranch upon completion?

A: A maximum of 475, and that’s driven

by the amount of water rights we’ve been granted by the City of Fredericksburg.

Q: When do you anticipate having everything sold? A: We could potentially finish selling lots in

three to four years, but that’s dependent on economic and market conditions. We would not want to turn over the Club until we’ve completed the amenities and residential development, and sold all the home sites.

Q: To whom will you turn over Boot Ranch? A: There are two entities. There’s the Prop-

erty Owners Association, which will own the infrastructure, common areas, and so forth, and the Club, which will own the vast majority of the amenities. The ownership of the POA is the people who own the property and lots in Boot Ranch. The members of the

Club are, by and large, the owners of property, too, although there were some non-resident members when we bought Boot Ranch. If you think about it, the owners of the Club and the owners of the POA are essentially the same people. How they decide to manage the Club, whether it’s as a separate equity club or as a part of the POA, that’s up to them. Our job is to deliver the Club to whatever entity they want to manage and operate it. A key objective for us is to deliver a Club that is operating at a sustainable level, which for us means it is appropriately staffed, well maintained, and on sound financial footing. Q: Is the Club operating at a sustainable level now? A: Yes, on all counts. We turned our first pos-

itive cash flow with the Club this past year. Transparency between us and the members is another of our objectives, so the transition can occur smoothly and they know what we’ve done and can continue operating the Club at a sustainable level. Currently, we’re working with 25 members who serve on the Advisory Board and related committees. You know, the initial vision for Boot Ranch was that it would become the finest private club community in Texas. When we bought Boot Ranch, we bought into that vision. We see ourselves as caretakers, charged with making it a reality. The job hasn’t always been easy. Sometimes the people who bought property before our arrival did not always agree with us on what Boot Ranch should look like at the end. But we worked hard with them to align our visions. And I like to think that on the day we hand over the keys, everyone will look at what Boot Ranch has become and be pleased.

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