Riverhill Living

RI VERHILL

Living

Donna DiPace

Get to know Riverhill Country Club’s food and beverage director

The grads have it

See who’s graduating and making strides in their eduction in this special edition of Brags & Accolades

A history of Riverhill

From the clubhouse to the first house, the subdivision comes with an interesting past

Imagine a beautiful view, a lovely window where the sun is streaming in, literally damaging the furniture, flooring and artwork in its path. Although there is no need for privacy, this window can not be enjoyed for several hours every day. Then, imagine a time where a simple roller shade is hung, covering the window for those hours. With a touch of a button, the shade disappears and the view is there to be enjoyed for the rest of the day. The new hardwood floors and leather furnishings are safe. This happens for our clients, every single day!

Imagine a beautiful view, a lovely window where the sun is streaming in, literally damaging the furniture, flooring and artwork in its path. Although there is no need for privacy, this window can not be enjoyed for several hours every day. Then, imagine a time where a simple roller shade is hung, covering the window for those hours. With a touch of a button, the shade disappears and the view is there to be enjoyed for the rest of the day. The new hardwood floors and leather furnishings are safe. This happens for our clients, every single day!

I love what I do, and it is for the reason stated above! Window treatments are beautiful, of course, and we only sell what we can stand behind quality-wise. But they are functional as well, and usually save more than they cost, in protected furnishings and fabrics. The advances in automation for window shadings have made them much more affordable, and convenient for many more homes than previously.

We have lots of excitement going on at Guadalupe Plaza these days. We have moved from our long time suite, to the larger one next door, which is Suite 160. After a facelift to the space, we are adding new displays every day, both Hunter Douglas, Alta, Graber and Exterior. We are so excited to invite our friends and neighbors to see our brand new, much larger showroom.

I love what I do, and it is for the reason stated above! Window treatments are beautiful, of course, and we only sell what we can stand behind quality-wise. But they are functional as well, and usually save more than they cost, in protected furnishings and fabrics. The advances in automation for window shadings have made them much more affordable, and convenient for many more homes than previously.

Our clients get the benefit of our years of experience, to make sure they make the right choice, the first time. We try to ask them the right questions to assess their lifestyle needs and avoid making the wrong purchase. Price is not the first consideration, although we definitely offer Value lines as well as the best of the best. No matters what the needs are, we are perfectly positioned to help and look forward to meeting with you today. Our showroom is always open by appointment, call or email us soon.

There are so many innovative things to share, we really love to demonstrate our latest automation systems for shades. With the new cord safety laws on the horizon, our vendors are ahead of the curve implementing the new rules. Cordless, and automated shades, with rechargeable batteries, lead the way to more convenient, beautiful window coverings.

Imagine a beautiful view, a lovely window where the sun is streaming in, literally damaging the furniture, flooring and artwork in its path. Although there is no need for privacy, this window can not be enjoyed for several hours every day. Then, imagine a time where a simple roller shade is hung, covering the window for those hours. With a touch of a button, the shade disappears and the view is there to be enjoyed for the rest of the day. The new hardwood floors and leather furnishings are safe. This happens for our clients, every single day!

Our clients get the benefit of our years of experience, to make sure they make the right choice, the first time. We try to ask them the right questions to assess their lifestyle needs and avoid making the wrong purchase. Price is not the first consideration, although we definitely offer Value lines as well as the best of the best. No matters what the needs are, we are perfectly positioned to help and look forward to meeting with you today. Our showroom is always open by appointment, call or email us soon. OUR

On the drapery side of things, Teresa is thrilled to continue her role as “The Drapery Diva” . Since the first project in 1997, she has been involved in each part of hundreds of successful drapery projects, and it is truly a labor of love. She looks forward to helping give many more homes the finishing touch of lovely, custom drapery and accessories. We want to give our clients the best experience so they are able to make the right choice the first time.

Teresa Carosella • Owner Kerrville Window Fashion

I love what I do, and it is for the reason stated above! Window treatments are beautiful, of course, and we only sell what we can stand behind quality-wise. But they are functional as well, and usually save more than they cost, in protected furnishings and fabrics. The advances in automation for window shadings have made them much more affordable, and convenient for many more homes than previously.

512 Sidney Baker, Suite 180 • Kerrville (Guadalupe Plaza, behind Jack in the Box) Call for your private consultation. 830-733-0041

NEW LOCATION

Kerrvillewindowfashions.com • Available 24-7

We are still mostly open by appointment at this time, please call, or email, or text us and we would love to show off our new digs! Our new spring launch is in transit, and we will have new products to show very soon. Watch for our Grand Reopening/Ribbon Cutting!

Our clients get the benefit of our years of experience, to make sure they make the right choice, the first time. We try to ask them the right questions to assess their lifestyle needs and avoid making the wrong purchase. Price is not the first consideration, although we definitely offer Value lines as well as the best of the best. No matters what the needs are, we are perfectly positioned to help and look forward to meeting with you today. Our showroom is always open by appointment, call or email us soon.

512 Sidney Baker, Suite 180 • Kerrville (Guadalupe Plaza, behind Jack in the Box)

Call for your private consultation. 830-733-0041

Kerrvillewindowfashions.com • Available 24-7

Teresa Carosella • Owner Kerrville Window Fashion

Teresa Carosella • Owner Kerrville Window Fashion Kerrville Window Fashions

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Table of Contents

5 A SWING AHEAD OF THE REST

Young golfers Zhao Yung Gu and Raleygh Simpson are paving the way to pro futures.

6 SPOTLIGHT ON DONNA DIPACE

Get to know the Riverhill Country Club food and beverage director.

8 A HISTORY OF RIVERHILL: THE EVOLUTION OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Discover the history of the planning and building of what became Riverhill.

10 CLUB GETS ITS START WITH

1965 GOLF COURSE PLANS

Before the homes were built, developers wanted a place for residents to gather at the country club.

12 WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE?

Learn where Riverhill gets its water and what the supply looks like now.

14 LADIES THAT LUNCH

Get to know your neighbors and enjoy new dining experiences with this social ladies’ group.

16 BRAGS & ACCOLADES

See who’s graduating and making the most of their eduction in this special edition of Brags & Accolades.

Jennifer McCullough Publisher

Jillian Smith Managing Editor

Jeanette Eastwood Nash Assistant Managing Editor

Nancy Foster

Niel Powers Photography

Tom Holden Advertising

Chelsea Fore

Angel Fortner

Daniel Moore Composition

Johanna Rangel

A swing ahead of the rest

Zhao Yung Gu

You might have noticed a rather tall, good-looking young man on the practice green. He’s taking his putting practice very seriously, as well he should. He is the winning individual medalist in the SCAC Conference Championship, a college team tournament held at Riverhill this last April. With rounds of 71, 74 and 72, he won the tournament by two shots after starting five shots back.

Zhao Yung Gu is a frequent visitor to Riverhill, as he is on the Schreiner University golf team and just graduated from Schreiner this spring with a degree in Finance. He has won academic awards in addition to his many golf accomplishments.

Yung took up golf at an early age — 7, to be exact —– in his home country of China. His mom, a good golfer herself, owned a driving range that gave him lots of opportunities to learn the game. And learn he did.

Yung hits his driver, on average, 320 yards carry. His best score at Riverhill is a 63.

Asked about his approach to the game, he said his best strategy is to always have 100-yard approach shot. He has confidence in that shot, and on the final day, he had five opportunities from 100 yards and birdie four of those holes.

With graduation behind him, Yung now looks to his golfing future, looking at Q-school,

Raleygh Simpson

Mark Eisenman president

Deby Fowler vice president

Casey Mikeska treasurer

Marnee Bscheid secretary

Hank Ortega board member

You have likely seen this young lady on the driving range or out on the course at Riverhill. You’ve probably also noticed she can hit a golf ball a long way! And straight.

Her name is Raleygh Simpson. She’ll be a junior at Tivy High School in the fall, and she’s a regular fixture at Riverhill. And she’s a regular winner in tournaments and qualifying events in the area.

Raleygh won the overall girl’s division in the Heart of Texas Classic April 22-23 at Riverhill this year. This Prestige Tour tournament is put on by the South Texas PGA. She was in fourth place after day one, but a gutsy performance on day two brought her the championship. It’s her second Prestige Tour win.

“I always enjoy playing tournaments at Riverhill, because it’s the course I have grown up on. It was fun to pull off the win that day despite the cold temps and winds. Seeing the members come out and support me and the other junior golfers was not only encouraging, but also very appreciated,” Raleygh said.

Rayleigh just qualified for the state Class 5A

perhaps qualifying for the Open and considering the Latin America Mini-Tour. Averaging six hours a day working on golf, you can bet that this won’t be the last time you hear his name.

tournament for the second straight year, and there’s even more golf in her future. She’s just committed to the University of Kentucky. See what happens when you learn your golf at Riverhill? Congratulations, Raleygh. Keep hitting them long and straight.

Donna DiPace

Riverhill Country Club, food and beverage director

By Nancy Foster

Donna DiPace has a love affair with her job. This personable lady with a can-do attitude thrives on the many facets of what it takes to make members happy and events successful — and she does it well. Donna is a detail person, which is a definite requisite since so much is involved in any event she takes on.

Extensive renovations have

been going on at Riverhill Country Club, with an anticipated completion date of early June. Donna is exuberant about the changes.

“We’re thrilled at what we’re seeing. The contractors are doing a great job of balancing the old with the new,” Donna said. “New French doors have been added, we’re replacing the carpet, fresh paint is going up in aesthetically pleasing colors, and we’re excited

“I have a passion for customer service.

That’s what gets me up in the morning.”

that our members will soon be able to enjoy al fresco dining while sitting close up to the greens. The landscaping changes are quite dramatic as well.

“While all the changes are being made, we’ve been doing the juggling act of keeping one dining room open while the other is being worked on. Our members will soon be able to come from the Pro Shop or golf course for a cold beverage and then straight into our renovated mansion facility.”

THE JOB

Donna’s only been on the job as Riverhill food and beverage director a bit more than six months but has already bonded well with her coworkers and residents.

“Getting to know the members is so much fun,

and I love working under the extraordinary leadership of General Manager Jeff Hunter. We’re all part of a team that shares the same work ethic and vision for Riverhill Country Club. It’s exciting to be part of this,” she said.

There is no such thing as a routine day for this energetic multi-tasker.

“We never know when a request will come in for a new event, wedding or other celebration, plus we have our regulars such as the Riverhill Women’s luncheon,” she said.

Consuming much of her time has been the annual Byron Nelson Invitational golf tournament, expected to bring in 200 or more members and guests.

“It will require many meals, snacks and beverage functions, but it’s very excit-

ing,” she said. “We are so fortunate to be host to this special golf event.”

ON A PERSONAL NOTE

Donna has been a Kerrville resident for three years, having left California in 2000 to follow a sister-in-law to Kerrville.

“My family and I found Kerrville to be the perfect place to relocate,” she said

Prior to working at Riverhill Country Club, she worked as golf simulator coordinator at the Kerrville Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Centerand then as the event director at Comanche Trace.

Asked what she does in her free time, she will promptly respond, “I stay fit.

I go to a fitness center and participate in many of their programs, including cross-fit, weightlifting, swimming and others. I find It’s important to have an outlet.”

All in all, the food and beverage director’s job is a perfect match for Donna’s enthusiastic personality and commitment to perfection.

“To work in this environment where history blends in with a world-renowned golf course in such a beautiful setting is fabulous. And to have so many wonderful members who enjoy living, playing and dining here makes me — and all of us here — feel extremely fulfilled, she said.

Many people contributed information for these, but I would particularly like to recognize Diane McMahon, Tara Bushnoe and Monica Thibodeaux with the Upper Guadalupe River Authority for their excellent article on the history of water Kerrville and Julia Finger for the great information about the history of Riverhill Country Club. And a special thank you to Mark Wright for sharing some of his memories on the building of the golf course.

Mark’s mother, Gloria Harris, was the second Women’s Golf Association president. Their family membership number was two. Mark was 17 years old and helped with some of the heavy lifting — literally.

Enjoy!

A history of Riverhill The evolution of the neighborhood

By Niel Powers

Which street do you live on? Is it Vista Del Lago Circle? Or perhaps Avenida Buena Vista, Avenida Orinoco or Avenida Flecha? Or perhaps you live on Lake Tamanaco.

All are a part of the history of the development of the Riverhill neighborhood. Those were a few of the names suggested by Leon Turner, who bought the land we know as Riverhill in 1966. Leon’s reason for his fascination with an Native American chief from Venezuela and Spanish street names has been lost in the mists of history, and few artifacts from the Tamanaco period remain.

Before it was Tamanaco, it was Forrest Hills. And after it was Tanamaco it was Kerrville Hills. And all of that before it was renamed after a place in Wisconsin, Riverhills.

It starts with Gustave Fritz Schreiner in 1917. He inher-

ited some 2,000 acres from his father, Capt. Charles A. Schreiner. Gustave lived on this land prior to his inheritance and built the house we know as “the mansion” on a hill overlooking the river. He named it “Cedarcrest.” The land was used for raising crops, cattle and horses. To quote Mark Wright, “This was a ranch. There were cows along the No. 5 fairway. Nothing out here but (the mansion).”

The land went through several hands after Schreiner’s death, but the next chapter in our story starts in 1965 with a young man named Fred Rowsey. He started with about 900 acres that his grandfather had acquired, still part of Gus Schreiner’s estate. The C. F. Rowsey Development Co. began laying out a golf course and subdivision with lots platted for sale. He did sell a few lots, including to the publisher at the time

of The Kerrville Daily Times, Max Thomas.

From The Times of March 28, 1965: “Rowsey is currently working on what may be the largest and most ambitious development project ever done in the Kerrville Area. … Tracts of from 2 to 20 acres will be sold as country estates, and housing development will be restricted to only the finest homes.”

But Forrest Hills never quite got off the ground, and Rowsey never saw his vision through to completion. And that’s where the Tamanaco name comes into play.

In late 1966 or early 1967, Rowsey sold out to Turner, who promptly renamed it and came up with those Spanish names. While the Spanish names disappeared, the street names “Larry Lee Blvd.” and “Larry Lee Circle” survived.

Leon and Kanela Turner had two sons named — you guessed it — Larry and Lee. If you live on one of those two streets you have Tamanaco roots. The first section of Tamanaco lots were being sold in December 1967

In another artifact from the Turner time, a pro shop, cart barn and snack bar were built. That property later became the Kelsey-Seybold Clinic.

As Mark remembers, it wasn’t the best location for the cart barn.

“The course

almost washed away in the flood of ’74. They had the cart barn down near the No. 5 green, where those trees are. We told them, ‘You better move those carts. Your dam is about to wash away.’ Fortunately, the dam held, but they moved the cart barn after that,” he said.

Tamanaco was purchased by the Casco Development Co. of Houston. This brought in Don Collett, Casper Walters and Lloyd

current era: “Tierra Linda acquires Kerrville Hills Estates.”

Enter Stuart and Sherman Hunt, as well as Seiser H. Pickett III, president of Tierra Linda. The Hunts worked with L.D. Brinkman and shared his vision but wanted to do the development themselves, hence the acquisition. At the point the club was named Riverhill, but the development was still known as Kerrville Hills Estates.

Brinkman. It was quickly renamed to Kerrville Hills Estates. Brinkman is responsible for the Riverhill name, as he found a similar name on a visit to in Wisconsin and borrowed it for his new development.

The financing they were anticipating never came through, so yet another name comes into the fray — Bob Owens and the Kerrville Hills Development Co. Owens was from Beaumont, so now we have Houston, Dallas and Beaumont connections. Articles and advertisements from the time reference both the Kerrville Hills and Riverhill names.

Jumping ahead, the headline from The Times of March 3, 1973, brings us into the

about the potential of Riverhill: “We feel strongly that Kerrville Hills can be developed into one of the finest resort facilities in the nation.”

Today, Riverhill consists of 18 separate segments covered by the Association of Property Owners of Riverhill, which was formed in January 1986, when the membership bought the club from Underwood. The residential areas represent different development efforts through the history of the original Schreiner land.

While there are no more of the 2- to 20-acre estates, there is a wide variety of home sizes and styles, ranging from condos to large single-family dwellings.

Here’s a quote from Pickett

Club gets its start with 1965

By Niel Powers

The history of Riverhill includes many names: Forrest Hills Country Club, Tamanaco Country Club, Kerrville Hills Country Club and one reference to “Lakewood Course.” We all know the names Byron Nelson, Joe Finger and Gus Schreiner, but we need to add Fred Rowsey, Leon Turner, Lloyd Brinkman and Sherman and Stuart Hunt, among others.

Our story has as many doglegs as the back nine of the course. Riverhill was introduced to the world on Nov. 22, 1974, but golf on this land goes back to 1965 and Fred Rowsey. This was when George Hoffman, a course architect from San Antonio, laid out an 18-hole course. This was a bit of a shoestring effort, as this story illustrates:

“He [Fred] was trying to develop the property he had bought. We lived on a ranch and had a tractor. Fred said he needed that tractor to help lay out some roads on the property he bought. So, we actually bought this lot, and the down payment for the lot was the tractor.” — Freda Thomas, first pur-

of a lot in Forrest Hills Subdivision. The course was to be completed by September 1966, but that date came and went. With no clubhouse and a partially completed course, the property was sold in late 1966 or early 1967.

The story continues with a new owner, name and layout. Turner changed the name to Tamanaco Country Club. The first nine holes were completed, and memberships were issued for the princely sum of $500 for the first 200 and $1,000 for the next 100. Nothing goes quite as planned, and Leon Turner was soon looking for a buyer.

A quote from The Kerrville Daily Times of Feb. 28, 1971, perhaps best sums up the situation: “Development of a big residential community and country club project, … which has been ‘on’ and ‘off’ several times in the past two years, got under full steam here early this month.”

The article quoted Executive Vice President Don Collett as claiming, “Kerrville Hills will not only provide a new renaissance for the Texas Hill Country, but could well become the ‘Broadmoor of the Great Southwest.’”

That’s an ambitious claim for a course when only nine holes had been completed.

Enter Brinkman and the name we currently know. Collett’s funding for the “Broadmoor of the Great Southwest” never came through, so ownership was taken over by Brinkman. At this time, both the mansion and the additional acres needed for a full 18hole course came into play. The

name came from a trip Brinkman took to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where a friend lived in an area known as Riverhills. The name on your golf bag started from a trip up north.

Things accelerated in 1973, when Stuart and Sherman Hunt took over the course. They were responsible for bringing in Byron Nelson, and Byron was responsible for bringing in Finger as the course architect.

Byron told Joe they were “to start over completely and disregard the golf course holes that were in existence.”

As Mark remembers it: “We cannibalized what was here, taking bits and pieces of the existing course. Seventeen fairway was the old No. 3 fairway, and the driving range was No. 4. The only two original holes that were left intact are No. 2 and No. 14, up the hill. No. 2 is still my favorite hole; I’m glad they left it intact. All the rest were either brand new or bits and pieces of old holes that we combined to make a new hole. I look back on it and remember digging this sand trap and that sand trap. All the ones on 9 and 18 I dug out by hand. I wish I hadn’t dug that one to the right of 9 quite so deep. It was a lot deeper originally, about 3 feet deeper. It was a real pit.”

The job wasn’t easy, according to Mark.

“We had a real problem with hole 15 washing out. We pushed boulders up into there and smashed them into the hillside with a caterpillar before we covered it with grass. If you dig there, you’ll hit big rocks. Hole 16, it was always washing out over there on the right, so I took some of Mr. McBride’s carpet grass and put it up there. I planted about 20 little squares, but now it has spread, so you can cuss me about it,” he said.

“The greens were difficult. They would put in the greens, but they wouldn’t be

chaser

golf course plans

good enough, so they’d scrape them up and start over. It was a lot of back and forth on those greens, checking them for slope and grade. It had to be just so. I remember spilling some of the bent grass seed one day, and we got in trouble for it. They told us how expensive it was and not to spill it,” Mark said.

From a press release introducing the course in 1974: “The golf course, says Nelson, places great emphasis on accuracy.”

The first member-guest tournament, which was hosted Nov. 7, 1975, was just one of many tournaments in the first year, including the “State Left-handers Tournament” and a South Texas PGA Pro-Am. When Byron was told that Tom Watson had shot an eagle three of No. 13, Byron replied, “I guess I didn’t make it difficult enough.”

Byron built a house on hole 10, apparently in the path.

“I hit his house twice with a horrible slice. He came out of the house to see what had happened. ‘It was just me, Byron, hitting your roof with my horrible swing,’” Mark said.

That slice worked in his favor on No. 3.

“There were no big trees on the right; Antelope Trail wasn’t there, no houses,” he said. “You could tee it up and bomb it over the creek. You could be 100 yards out for your second shot.”

The club was sold again in 1982 to George Underwood. The two nines were flipped during this time, under club pro Russ Collins. The prospect of converting the club to being membership owned was raised also, an effort completed in 1986.

The number of people

involved during the member-owned phase of the club’s history is too long to detail here, but you would likely know many of the names and can recognize their hard work.

The sale of the club to Southern Golf Properties on Oct. 1, 2009, brings us current. The club continues to grow, with many new improvements on tap this year.

We’ll end this history

with that famous quote from Byron Nelson. In the July 1988 interview of Nelson for Golf magazine, this question was asked: “What would be your favorite course to play on?”

Nelson’s answer is well known to members of Riverhill.

“I’d pick Riverhill in Kerrville, Texas,” he said. “I helped build it 14 years ago with Joe Finger. It is a challenge any time of the year.”

Water, water everywhere?

Where we get our water and the current state of it

Ancient seas covered approximately one-third of the central North American continent — including Texas. Eventually, the seas retreated.

Fast forward to about 12,000 years ago. Native Americans had settlements along watercourses, including the Guadalupe River and its tributaries.

Fast forward to the 19th century. Cypress trees were discovered along the Guadalupe River, which were highly desirable as roofing material. Many of the large, oldgrowth trees were harvested to cut into shingles. This was the beginning of what is now Kerrville.

Fast forward to the 20th century. In 1939, the Texas Legislature established the Upper Guadalupe River Authority to provide surface water resources for Kerr County. In 1991, Headwaters Groundwater Conservation District was established to provide management and protection of groundwater resources.

During the years 1964 to 1973, UGRA conducted a long-term water needs study and a groundwater supply study, which led to UGRA’s exploration of additional water supplies for the city of Kerrville. Then, from 1977 to 1981, UGRA worked with the

city to augment its water supply with surface water. This included securing financing for the construction of a dam and surface water treatment project, which were completed in 1981. In 1991, UGRA applied for a state permit to construct an Aquifer Storage and Recovery well and a permit to capture and divert “run of the river water” during periods of high flow. The permit allowed UGRA to treat the water and then inject it into the aquifer for recovery during peak water demand periods. The UGRA ASR well was completed in 1996 and was the first to be permitted by the state of Texas. In 1998, UGRA transferred ownership of the dam, Nimitz Lake, ASR well and water treatment plant to the city.

HGCD regulates domestic (private) and permitted wells in Kerr County, in addition to conducting research to identify new groundwater supplies. As a way of gauging the status of the aquifers, HGCD monitors 18 wells in various locations in Kerr County to record water levels in the Trinity and Edwards aquifers. In the past, HGCD has performed some age dating analyses to determine how much time it takes water to travel through its aquifer system.

Some of the data showed that the water was older than 1,000 years — which means that the water is replenished very slowly.

The city currently meets the water needs of the community through a combination of surface water, groundwater, ASR wells and reuse water. (The city has added additional ASR wells since the original well in 1996.)

In addition to river water allocated by the South Texas Watermaster (a division within the state’s Texas Commission on Environmental Quality), it has a conjunctive use permit with HGCD to withdraw water from the Lower Trinity Aquifer. The first water resource used is river water, then, in times of low flow, it switches to its other sources.

This is how Riverhill, as part of the city, is supplied with potable water. The Riverhill golf course receives reuse water from the city’s retention pond adjacent to Spur 100.

Water supplies are handled differently in the county. Water comes from private wells or public water systems, such as AquaTexas, that are permitted by the state to distribute groundwater. Some individuals and businesses in Kerr County also meet their

Diane McMahon

water needs through rainwater collection.

WHERE WE ARE NOW

We are in a severe drought. Thus far, May has been a month of light rainfall although it is generally the rainiest month. HGCD’s monitoring wells show an overall trend of decreasing water levels, which indicates a need for care in use of these water resources.

Some years ago, the state designated our area as a Priority Groundwater Management Area because of its limited water availability. The Desired Future Conditions set by the Texas Water Development Board for our area of the planning region accepts that we may have as much as a 30foot drop in the Trinity Aquifer water level by 2060. HGCD has the data if you would like to know more.

UGRA’S focus is now on the health and preservation of our river. Records of river flow and rainfall have been kept for

many years and document our serious droughts (and occasional serious flooding). UGRA also records annual videos of the river course to provide insight into its condition and changes over time.

For water planning, the state uses the Drought of Record, which occurred in the 1950s. Since then, however, we have had two individual years with less rainfall than any single year during the drought of the 1950s. 2022 was the driest year ever recorded in Kerrville with 12.38 inches of rain; our average annual rainfall is about 30 inches.

From 2008 to 2022, this average rainfall has only occurred four times. The other 11 years have been moderately or significantly below the average.

The annual average flow of the Guadalupe River in Kerrville is 119 cubic feet per second. In 2022, the average flow was 27 cfs. The city has successfully met these chal-

lenges, but with an increasing population, it may become more challenging if water conservation strategies do not become the norm.

Rainfall replenishes the river, aquifers, streams and springs. Natural cycles are unavoidable but water-saving practices can minimize detrimental impacts. With a growing demand for water, the totality of our choices will determine the future livability of our area.

Xeriscaping or minimizing

turf lawns and other high water use landscaping is worth considering, because in most households, the majority of water is used outdoors. UGRA and HGCD have helpful water conservation suggestions on their websites if you’d like to explore options. Find them at www.ugra.org and https:// hgcd.org, respectively.

Diane McMahon is a board member with the Upper Guadalupe River Authority and a Riverhill resident.

Gene and Katie Allen, his family and the staff take great pride in being a part of the Kerrville community.

“Serving each family with dignity, pride and honor since 1967.”

Ladies That Lunch

Ladies That Lunch is a Riverhill tradition in the making. All APOR members are welcome. The ladies meet once a month, usually the first Monday, at fun locations in the Kerrville area. These pictures are from the May luncheon, where Bridget opened up Bridget’s Basket exclusively for the group to enjoy the beautiful Hunt property.

These gatherings are a great opportunity to get together and enjoy friends and neighbors, as well as perhaps introducing you to a new restaurant. The June Ladies That Lunch will be at Bricks River Restaurant in Bandera.

Deby Fowler is instigator and the contact for this fine new APOR offering. You can contact her directly for more information at bunie509@gmail.com.

By the way, if you are not an APOR member, Deby can help you with that as well.

Brags & Accolades

Here it is! Your opportunity to find out just what your neighbors, their children, and their grandchildren have been doing. This is our third issue of Brags and Accolades, and it is proving quite popular. So, relax, read on and start planning for the next issue. Keep those stories and pictures coming!

We’ve got graduation at all levels here in Riverhill, and I truly mean all levels. But of course, that’s not the only thing going on. Read on for the accomplishments of APOR members, their children and grandchildren.

GRANDKIDS

From Beck Gipson: My grandson, Gipson Luke Roberts, graduates from Tivy High School next week (last week of May) and is to attend Texas Tech. He worked with Matt on the golf crew last year.

GRANDKIDS

From Sue Steele: Here is a picture of our granddaughter, Paige Davis Brewer, who graduated from Alamo Heights High School this May. Paige will attend Wake Forest in the fall.

GRANDKIDS

From Vivian Strebeck: Our second oldest grandson, Easton Charles Adair, graduated from high school in New Mexico on the 13th. He will be attending Texas Tech in the fall. Guns up!

From Bill and Becky White: Things have been a bit busy for the granddaughters of Bill and Becky. Campbell Fox has been demonstrating her superpowers at Baylor, joining the Honors Program for 2024 as a senior, serving as president of Chi Omega Sorority, joining Lambda Pi Eta Honor Society and interning at DPWPR Public Relations, which makes sense as she is a Corporate Communications and Media Management major.

Meanwhile, younger sister Riley Fox is a top 5 graduate of Cypress High School in Houston, having been a four-year AP honor student. She will attend Mays Business School at Texas A&M in the fall. Oh yeah, she’s also fast: She was on the 4x100M and 4x200M teams and took 1st and 3rd place in the 100m in the state championship track and field events. Apparently, trying to outrun her older sister!

These young women will be running the world just any day now.

GRANDKIDS

From Marlene Grothues: Grandson Kirkland Connally, above, graduated from Texas Christian University this year with a degree in Business and Finance. Go Horned Frogs! With a double-major like that, he will do just fine!

Cole Grothues, right, just graduated from Bandera High School, fifth in his class. He’ll be headed over to Texas A&M in the fall, said his proud grandmother.

KIDS

KIDS

From Karen Guerriero: Quency Guerriero, the last of the three Guer

riero crew, will be graduating from Tivy High School on May 26th. She hopes to attend the University of Texas in Austin following her completion of the UT CAP program requirements.

From Marnee and Alex Bscheid: Madison Bscheid, now 5 years old, is graduating from Pre-K. Madison is looking forward to kindergarten. She is eager to learn how to read and make new friends. However, now that school is out and she has graduated, she is very excited to swim all summer long first! (ed. And she’ll have a brand-new pool to do it in!)

GRANDKIDS

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Vicki Williams has two grandsons marking a milestone in life this May. Davis Williams, left, is graduating from Southern Methodist University Law School, and Charlie Craft is graduating from University of Southern California, then headed to Law School at SMU or University of Texas. She is so very proud of them both! (ed. I think I know where you can find a good lawyer or two — if you can wait a bit.)

GRANDKIDS

More to Brag About !

From Paul and Patty Zohlen: Our grandson, Brandon Patrick Zohlen, graduated with honors from The University of Nebraska, Lincoln, in May. He has a double major in Business Management and Sales and has been selected for the dean’s list for the last three years. He is a four-year member of Sigma Chi fraternity.

Brandon has accepted a position in Omaha, Nebraska, with the Gallup Corp. in their Leadership Consulting Group Omaha. Of course, he plans on continuing his work as a DJ on weekends.

PARK TOURING

As you may recall from earlier issues, the Shraders seem bound and determined to hit every National Park we have. And they’ve added five more to the list, bringing the total to 52 of the 63. (ed. Apparently, they don’t stay home much.) They’ve added Channel Islands, Pinnacles, Cuyahoga Valley, Indiana Dunes and New River Gorge for this issue. Wonder where they will go next?

FAMILY MOVE

GREAT & GRANDKIDS

From Becky and Gordon Purl: The two older girls are our twin granddaughters graduating from Ingram Tom Moore High School — Maggie and Molly Rector. They both will be attending Texas A&M-Kingsville in the fall. Our great-granddaughter, Mary Harper Harris, is graduating from St. Peter’s Episcopal School in Kerrville. Mary Harper is also the granddaughter of Caryn and Jeff Talarico.

CATCH OF THE DAY

A true long distance entry from Deby Fowler: My daughter, son-in-law,and their family have recently moved to Mount Maunganui, New Zealand. The PWS awareness photo tells about 16-year-old Lu’s accomplishments. Marlo, 14, is getting involved in popular sports in New Zealand, like beach volleyball and surf lifesaving.

And from Ford Smith and Mindy Wendele: Raymond Holloway is a longtime member of the Ingram Bass Club, a group dedicated to promoting fishing to all ages through monthly tournaments around the state. He is a multi-time winner of Angler of the Year, an honor bestowed to members with the highest weight of fish snagged throughout the year. During the 2023 tournament schedule, Raymond has placed in the top three each month.