MARCH 2015
Welcome to Boerne
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Bluebonnet Realty HOMES FOR SALE
1.) FOR SALE - $499,000 PRICED TO SELL. Waterfront property in River Mountain Ranch with private access! Custom home built with views of the Guadalupe from the master bedroom, family room, and balcony. Outdoor balcony runs the length of the home and features a fireplace and surround sound speakers. Private road on the property going down to the river. 3.57 acres.
3.) FOR SALE - $145,800 - Cibolo Crossing 2 bed, 2 ba home with large family room that could be used as master bedroom. Great price for this house near Main Street and shopping.
2.) FOR SALE - $255,000 - Great Investment! This townhome overlooking the beautiful grounds and hills at Tapatio Springs Resort has 3 bedrooms, and 3 full baths. Tri-level with bedroom and bath on each level, plus large family room with fireplace and separate dining room. Each level has a balcony or patio. This home has approximately 2254 s.f. of living are plus a 1 car attached garage. Price to sell!
4.) FOR SALE - $199,900 Recently renovated 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home on .25 acres close to downtown Boerne, shopping and schools
HOMES & COMMERCIAL FOR LEASE
5.) FOR LEASE - $2500 - 3 Bedroom, 2 bath in Fair Oaks Ranch, on 1.94 acres. Also for sale $395,000.
7.) FOR LEASE - $1200 - 3 bed, 2 ba updated moble in Walnut Hills
6.) FOR LEASE - $2500 - Garden home on golf course in Fair Oaks Ranch. 2 bed, 2 ba approx. 2245 s.f; with 2 car garage
8.) FOR LEASE - $2100 - 3 bed, 3 bath townhome in Tapatio Springs. One car garage. Golf course view! ALSO FOR SALE!
9.) FOR LEASE - $2800 - 3 Bedroom, 2.5 bath, approx. 2855 s.f. of living area in gated Kendall Point
MORE HOMES AVAILABLE. CALL FOR LISTINGS.
830-816-2288 • www.boernetexashomes.com
$10 OFF YOUR FIRST EXPERIENCE 930 E. BLANCO, BOERNE TX
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830.443.4500
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w w w. c o m p l e t e g e n t . c o m
David Phillip, Owner T. David Phillip, CPA
MARCH
Explore what's inside this issue!
10 From the Publisher
24 Performing Arts
36 grilling
Fire up the grill
102 years of broadway
12 Calendar
Warmer weather is on it’s way and we have some recipes to get you started.
Broadway hits are coming to the Hill Country.
14 MUSIC
TROUBADOUR
38 Life
26 Spiritual
Living the dream
Worry not
16 The art of
Stone Masonry
JJ San Miguel has spent most of his life perfecting his art
Don’t let life get in the way of your dreams.
28 Spring Break
Publisher Benjamin D. Schooley ben@hillcountryexplore.com Operations Manager Kristine Duran kristine@smvtexas.vom Creative Director Benjamin N. Weber ben.weber@smvtexas.com Assistant Creative Director Kayla Davisson kayla@smvtexas.com
7 things to do on your week off School is out and you’re wondering what to do. Check out our list of fun things in the area to keep you occupied.
ADVERTISING SALES 210-507-5250 sales@hillcountryexplore.com
32 Coffee
exotic brews from around the world
42 OLD TIMER
Businesses that confuse
Old Timer talks about business he just can’t figure out.
20 History The original boerne
EXPLORE magazine is published by Schooley Media Ventures in Boerne, TX. EXPLORE Magazine and Schooley Media Ventures are not responsible for any inaccuracies, erroneous information, or typographical errors contained in this publication submitted by advertisers. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinions of EXPLORE and/or Schooley Media Ventures. Copyright 2015 Schooley Media Ventures, 930 E. Blanco, Ste. 200, Boerne, TX 78006
How our fair city came to be.
Contributing Writers
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Marjorie Hagy History
Rene Villanueva Music
Kendall D. Aaron Spiritual
Old Timer Just Old Timer
Paul Wilson Life & Living
MARJORIE is a bibliophile, a history nut and an insomniac, among several other conditions, both diagnosed and otherwise. When she's not working tirelessly to avoid getting a real job, she nurses an obsession with her grandson and is involved in passing legislation restricting the wearing of socks with sandals. She is an aspiring pet hoarder who enjoys vicious games of Scrabble, reading Agatha Christie, and sitting around doing nothing while claiming to be thinking deeply. Marjorie has five grown children, a poodle to whom she is inordinately devoted in spite of his breath, and holds an Explore record for never having submitted an article on time. She's been writing for us for five years now.
Rene Villanueva is the lead singer/bass player for the band Hacienda. Having toured worldwide, hacienda has also been featured on several late night shows, including Late Show with David Letterman. Rene and his wife Rachel live in Boerne, TX and just welcomed thier first child.
I’m just a normal guy. I’m not a theology student, I don’t preach in church, and I’ve never written a book. I’m just a normal guy that thinks, and feels, and is on a never-ending journey attempting to be the best person I can be. I fail frequently at this quest, yet each day, the quest continues. I’ve lived in Boerne since the late ‘80s, I’ve got a most beautiful wife, three wonderful children, and just really, really love God. Thanks for going on my spiritual journey with me.
The Old Timer tells us he's been a resident of Boerne since about 1965. He enjoys telling people what he doesn't like. When not bust'n punks he can be found feeding the ducks just off Main St. or wandering aimlessly in the newly expanded HEB. Despite his rough and sometimes brash persona, Old Timer is really a wise and thoughtful individual. If you can sort through the BS.
An insatiable curiosity for life and an incurable fascination with human behavior has forged in Paul Wilson a keen interest in helping people think about wise living. As a Life Coach, Paul offers professional mentoring to clients seeking greater personal fulfillment in their life. He currently serves as the Lead Pastor of Cibolo Creek Community Church in Fair Oaks Ranch, a faith community he began in 1996 to serve people who didn’t really like church. As artistowner of The Paul Wilson Studio, he also creates bronze sculptures for private and corporate collections. Paul and his wife, Charlotte, who make their home in Fair Oaks Ranch, are the proud parents of two teenage sons. If you’re interested in receiving daily thought-provoking insights about life and living, follow Paul on Twitter at @paulwilsonTX or Facebook at facebook.com/ paulwilsonTX.
EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
From the Publisher Dearest EXPLORE reader, Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve loved to go fishing. Many of my favorite early memories are of fishing, and so as I’ve grown, it’s been something that I seek out frequently as the ultimate form of happiness, togetherness, and laughter. Frequently, because I don’t own a boat nor possess the knowledge to find fish myself, I hire a fishing guide and head to Rockport. Fishing guides are an interesting breed. They live their entire lives with sun scorched faces, a burn in the shape of his polarized sunglasses across his face. He exists exclusively in flip-flops, and often will wrap the entire lower portion of his face in a bandana, like a Wild West outlaw. Guys like me are jealous of guys like him. He spends his days gazing out across the pristine bays of Copano Bay, watching the gulls and pelicans buzz the rippling water. He takes guys like me out in his boat, swapping stories throughout the day of the many amazing catches he has made, and knows every secret spot to drag fish after fish into the boat. Upon dropping me off, this guy is actually paid for the privilege of spending the day fishing. During many of these trips, I have sat back and watched these fishing artisans work. Their hawkish glare, their steady footing on the rocking boat, their hands that are as comfy with a cell phone or a live shrimp. I’ll admit, I can be quite jealous of the fishing guide. He gets to do every day what I want to do every day. I want to be free and smell the salt air. I want to listen to the birds, and I want to smile while I listen to my clients scream with joy as they hoist in a giant redfish. He gets to do that every single day and I sit in an office. But let’s be real: a great portion of my job is “writing”, which is something I’m equally passionate about. I sit down every few days and have before me little but a blinking cursor on my laptop. My subject matter may differ, but I am blessed with the responsibility and privilege of putting together words in a particular order in the hopes of inspiring you. Or making you laugh. Or just making you think. I get to write and I get paid to do so. Somewhere out there somebody is reading about my job responsibilities and thinking to themselves, “Man, I’m an accountant. I would give ANYTHING to be able to write for a living! What a dream that would be! I have written in my spare time my whole life and can’t read enough books. I think it would be amazing to not have to deal with taxes all day, but rather, create art with my writing.” I think that the fishing guide is an artist. He takes people and shows them some of the most amazing vistas God has ever created. He skillfully drops the perfect bait into the perfect spot and waits the perfect number of seconds before hooking into a gorgeous fish. He elicits so many emotions from his clients with his passion, and to me, all of the above is the very definition of an artist. But as much as I love fishing, would I want to do his job for a living? I’m not so sure. I climb off of his boat at the end of a fishing trip and my skin is baked, my lips are peeling and my arms are aching. The fishing guide has to dock the boat, clean all the fish and put away all of the gear. I climb into my air conditioned pick-up truck to return home, and the fishing guide still has hours of cleaning and preparatory work to do. Could I be a fishing guide for a day? Absolutely. Could I do it for years? Probably not. Could you do my job for a day? Probably. Could you do it for years? Maybe, but you may not find it as interesting as you think. You’d probably find it filled with a whole lot of tedious work that you really don’t want to do, punctuated by the occasional opportunity to sit down and create with words. Much like my friend, Mr. Fishing Guide. So maybe I’d like to be a river outfitter. I love that, too. Can you imagine? Paddling through the beautiful mountains in Big Bend, as far away from civilization as you can get. Nothing but campfires and mesquite trees. Solitude. Beauty. Living the dream. Of course, then I’d have to think about paddling 9 million times a week. And lugging ice coolers. And annoying clients. Repetition. Sleeping on dirt. Outdoor toilets. So maybe not. I think about you, Mr. Fishing Guide, and you, Mr. River Outfitter, all the time. You are out there doing something amazing while I stare at a blinking cursor. You are breathing deep in pristine air and I’m in a business lunch. You are fishing in Copano Bay. You are paddling in Big Bend. I’m writing.
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Somewhere, someone is painting. Someone is sculpting. Someone has a knack for numbers and is knocking out a tax report. Somewhere a doctor is skillfully diagnosing a rare ailment. A salesman perfectly closes a deal. Everywhere, people are using their talents for the benefit of others, which makes us all artists if you ask me. I think that I’ve learned (and am still learning) that the day that someone pays you to do something, it becomes your job. When you are paid to do something, it’s no longer because you WANT to do it, but rather, you now HAVE to do it. Even the sculptor. Even the writer. Even the fishing guide. Our only real hope is to appreciate and seek those activities that bring us joy, even when we can’t do them daily. In order to appreciate something, we must assign it a value greater than “job”. Perhaps that is the great lesson: by reserving an activity in a regard as high as I hold fishing, I couldn’t disrespect it by doing it daily. If I did it daily, it would be normal and routine. It would be a task, a chore, and dare I say, a JOB. Instead, I approach it with respect, with anticipation, and as I enjoy fishing, it’s damn near spiritual. No matter where you find joy, find the beauty in your work. Odds are that someone out there is jealous of your trade and sees it as a noble pursuit, and one that they see as something to respect and appreciate. There’s beauty in virtually every pursuit of mankind, and while there are times that I want to quit my job and become a fishing guide, I know that I’m pretty damn lucky to be staring at that blinking cursor. But for right now, I’m going fishing. Welcome to March. The temperatures are picking up, the world is turning green again, and I hear the fish are biting. Find that beauty, inhale that air, and EXPLORE the art that is all around you. Smiling,
ben@hillcountryexplore.com
EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
PLEASE JOIN US TO HONOR BOERNE’S OWN AWARD WINNING PAINTER, NATIONAL ARTIST, AND FRIEND
BILL ZANER
AT HIS 85TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION – “SALE-EBRATION” FRIDAY 6:00PM – 9:00PM & SATURDAY 10:00AM – 6:00PM FRIDAY EVENING, WITH REFRESHMENTS BEING SERVED. SATURDAY ENJOY BILL ZANER’S ART –PAST AND PRESENT.
TEXAS TREASURES
F I N E A RT G A L L E R Y & S C U L P T U R E G A R D E N 605 S. Main St. • Boerne, TX 78006 • 830-816-5335 • www.texastreasuresfineart.com
MARCH
Get out and enjoy the great Texas Hill Country! The most comprehensive events calendar. Send submissions to info@hillcountryexplore.com
March 2 GRUENE Texas Independence Celebration Gruene Historic District. www.GrueneTexas.com
March 9 JUNCTION Vietnam Veterans Welcome Home Run
March 3 BANDERA Cowboy Capital Opry
Veterans travel along U.S. 83 (Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Highway) from Perryton to Brownsville to pay tribute to veterans, their families and friends. Communities on the route gather as the group of motorcycle riders pass through their town to hold various programs and provide meals to help show appreciation and support. Kimble County Courthouse. www.junctiontexas.com
March 4-5 FREDERICKSBURG Donny Edwards Elvis Tribute Show
March 14 BOERNE Second Saturday Art and Wine
Features Grand Old Opry-style entertainment hosted by Gerry and Harriet Payne. Silver Sage Community Center, 803 Buck Creek. www.silversagecorral.org
An authentic heart-and-soul tribute to The King. Rockbox Theater. www.rockboxtheater.com
Enjoy complimentary beverages and hors d’oeuvres with fantastic art in local galleries. Various locations. www.secondsaturdayartandwine.com
March 6 FREDERICKSBURG First Friday Art Walk
March 14 BOERNE Lucas Jack
Tour fine art galleries offering special exhibits, demonstrations, refreshments and extended viewing hours the first Friday of every month. Various locations. www.ffawf.com
March 6 MARBLE FALLS Girls Night Out
It is a fun evening of food, drinks, shopping, and music all while enjoying spa services like massages, manicures, make-up and much more. All proceeds benefit the Highland Lakes Family Crisis Center and Open Door Recovery House. Gather up a few girlfriends and join us! Tickets on sale now. 6:30 pm – 11:00 pm www.opendoorrecovery.net/special-events
March 7 WIMBERLEY Market Days
Stroll along a shaded path to more than 475 booths filled with a wide variety of arts, crafts, antiques, gift items, clothing and more. Also enjoy barbecue and treats with live music under the pavilion. Lions Field, 601 F.M. 2325. www.shopmarketdays.com
March 7 MARBLE FALLS Main Street Market Day
Dozens of craft vendors line Main Street to sell their wares. Main Street. www.marblefalls.org
March 7, 14, 21 BOERNE Wings Over Boerne
Outdoor bird-of-prey demonstrations by Last Chance Forever give audiences an up-close look at hawks, owls, falcons and vultures. Demonstrations begin at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Boerne Visitors Center, 1407 S. Main. www.visitboerne.org
March 8 JOHNSON CITY Art, Wine and Live Music
Enjoy local art and wine. Takes place 1:30–4 p.m. on the second Sunday of every month. Taste Wine + Art, 213 N. Nugent St. www.TASTEWineArt.com
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Come out to RANDOM for this live concert. 11 Upper Cibolo Creek Rd.
March 14-15 BOERNE Boerne Market Days
Hundreds of festive booths display everything from collectibles and nostalgia to modern innovations. Also enjoy food and live entertainment. Main Plaza, 100 N. Main. www.boernemarketdays.com
March 14-15 GRUENE Old Gruene Market Days
Nearly 100 vendors offer uniquely crafted items and packaged Texas foods. Hours are 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Gruene Historic District, 1724 Hunter Road. www.gruenemarketdays.com
March 14-15 FREDERICKSBURG Pacific Combat Living History Program
History comes to life with a World War II battle re-enactment including uniformed actors, guns, tanks and a flamethrower. National Museum of the Pacific War Pacific Combat Zone. www.pacificwarmuseum.org
March 14-21 FREDERICKSBURG Texas Hell Week Bicycle Tour
Includes daily 40- to 100-mile bicycle tours of Gillespie County. Headquarters are at Sunset Inn Motel. www.hellweek.com
March 15 BOERNE “102 Years of Broadway”
This musical revue of Broadway’s most celebrated shows features a dazzling cast of five Broadway stars accompanied by an all-star New York band. The show re-creates the greatest moments from the finest shows of the century featuring actual stars of shows such as “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Les Miserables,” “CATS,” “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Jekyll & Hyde.” Champion High Auditorium, 210 Charger Blvd. www.boerneperformingarts.com
March 20-22 FREDERICKSBURG Trade Days
Shop with more than 350 vendors or relax in the biergarten while listening to live music. Seven miles east of town off U.S. 290, 355 Sunday Farms Lane. www.fbgtradedays.com
March 21 LUCKENBACH Luckenbach Mud Dauber Festival and Chili Fest This is an open chili cook-off and music festival. www.luckenbachtexas.com
March 21 FREDERICKSBURG Annual LBJ Kite Day
Come make an old-fashioned 1900s kite. Materials are provided, or bring your own. Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site. www.tpwd.state. tx.us/state-parks/lyndon-b-johnson
March 21 FREDERICKSBURG Hill Country Indian Artifact Show
Includes more than 70 tables of Native American artifacts including arrowheads, beads and pottery. Pioneer Pavilion at Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park. www.hillcountryindianartifacts.com
March 21 & 28 BOERNE BEER WEEK
RANDOM is celebrating San Antonio Beer Week right here in Boerne! Celebrating craft beer and the people that love it. Meet, greet and taste. Award winning craft breweries will be on site to share and talk about their passions of the art of brewing craft beer. Live music and great food. 11 Upper Cibolo Creed Rd.
March 27 BOERNE Camerata San Antonio Salon Concert
This performance group cuts loose and shares their favorite musical amuse-bouches and bon bons, including Dvorak’s “Humoresque,” Borodin’s “Polovtsian Dances” and Enesco’s Romanian Rhapsody No. 1. Boerne First United Methodist, 250 E. James. www.cameratasa.org
March 28 STONEWALL LBJ 100 Bicycle Tour
Cyclists can choose from five different routes—a 10-mile-family ride, or distances of 30, 42, 62 or 85 miles—through the scenic Texas Hill Country. The rides start on the LBJ Ranch air strip at 9 a.m. Registration includes supported rides with maps, rest stops with drinks, snacks and facilities, SAG support, and a post-ride lunch, plus a ranger-led tour of the Texas White House. LBJ National Park. www.lbj100bicycletour.org
EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
By Rene Villanueva
After the last note, I took a breath. Two big lights came on above the audience pointing in on us: the band, the full stage, our gear, the interview chairs, the desk with the famous blue late-night coffee mug positioned at the edge. One camera swung between me and the audience. It was only one song. A few minutes. A few heartbeats. Not even long enough to get nervous. It’s so much easier for me to take any big performance, festivals, TV, if I focus and play to only one spot. One person. One object. My Drishti. Play there and only there. Let the crowd disappear. Let the room disappear. Let my focus disappear, so there’s only me and the song. I’d found my spot earlier that morning during rehearsals. One camera to my left. One singular mirrored eye. I watched it watching me. Sang to it. Ignored it. Came back to it. Tried to win it over. After the last note, I had one breath before the world came back; A brief moment to think. I looked through the audience for anyone I knew but they were too far away, and those two bright lights came on right at my eyes. I remember hearing a good applause. I remember the cold. The studio was so cold my left hand hurt. I have an old injury that makes my middle finger cramp up in the cold. I tried to take this all in, holding it as long as I could, but David Letterman was walking to me with his hand extended to my cold and knotted joint and I had to exhale. I had to come back. “Take Me Back To Texas!” David laughed and the band played. Quick as it began, it was over and the camera swung away. Dave was off talk-
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ing to Jaime, apparently he’s a well-known drum fanatic. The stage crew began moving our gear off stage, the audience was funneling out, and I was led to the exit to meet our label guy, Grover and publicist, Mary were waiting for us. “You did it!” she yelled, “Your first TV appearance... and you were dancing and everything!” “I did dance... didn’t I?” I look back at the little stage. And it is very little, the space between the house band and the interview chairs for David Letterman is small. All evidence of our band is gone: our amps, drums, the cables and microphones all gone. “Get your stuff, and we can meet outside,” Grover said quickly. I opened the door... or was it open already? No, Abe was ahead of me, and I’m holding my bass slung over my right shoulder as we get ready to go to a narrow hallway back to the dressing room... and at the door is Bruce Willis. Unexpected as that. Smiling like he is saying, “Yes it’s Bruce Willis.” Just as I’m thinking, “Is it really? It really is Bruce Willis,” and “man he is way more handsome than I could have imagined. The guy seriously looks flawless and is I-don’t-know how old... but instantly captivating and tall or was he standing on something... I remember him being tall... it’s no wonder he’s a movie star. He might have said ‘great job’ in a low-mumble-action hero way, but by the time I get past by him careful not to hit John McClane with my bass, I don’t know how well I was paying attention. Maybe I just made it up. Maybe it was just a grunt. I never tell people Bruce Willis said ‘great job’ cause I’m not sure, but I will tell you absolutely without a doubt, that I want to think he said it. It was two flights of a metal grate staircase to get back to the dressing
EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
room. One flight above the studio was make-up, where I’d stopped before our performance. Each of us was sent down from our dressing room one at a time. The lady was talking to her friend when I arrived and sat me down on her barber chair without stopping her conversation. She immediately started across my face with a brush, doing her thing. She didn’t ask me what I wanted, but that’s probably best. I wouldn’t have known what to say other than make me look good? The make-up room was incredibly bright and small. Spartan. Not even close to what I imagined from seeing movies. A chair, a small vanity shelf with her tools, bright lights, and one of those awful magnifying mirrors designed to show how much more sleep I needed but didn’t get. But after a few minutes of her magic I’m looking better than I’d ever seen myself. At the top of the stairs, were the four dressing rooms. The first one was for Amy Adams; I only saw her in passing, I almost wish I had a cool Amy Adams story where I was charming or clever and made her laugh, or she was charming and clever to me and made me laugh, or how great would it be if she were not only beautiful and smart but also viciously mean? That would be a great story... but what would I really say to her other than ‘hello?’ The second room was for a film crew that followed, Paul Jr. and Sr. for American Chopper who were occupying the third room. Briefly they’d come into the fourth room, our room, before our performance. They said something like “Rock it guys!” I think our room was a little disappointing for them, maybe they heard a rock band was next door and expected a rock star party going on, but
March 2015
we were just a couple kids in a mostly empty room. I had a bag with a change of clothes. When I came back to the fourth room to get my bag everyone else had long cleared out. Just a few members from the film crew packing up gear as I snuck over cables, grabbed my stuff, and went back down the stairs. With the heave of the exit door. Out of the cold of the Ed Sullivan, I jumped down into the humidity of the loading alley.
And then I was alone. On the same street we’d loaded in from just a few hours before and feeling indescribable. I had energy enough to run and nowhere to go. I had the feeling of accomplishment and change. But to what? This big moment in my life. A fantasy, and it all seemed to have slipped out of my life already. Like it had left with that last breath, after the last note. After the door closed. Now there was only the echo. This alley. Leaving me with only this profoundly microscopic shift. That I had only begun. That this was a starting line, not a finish. That there was a me before and after. From the morning to afternoon, you could superimpose a photo of then and now and see I still looked the same. The day was as grey and clouded, though only a little older. Waves of people still moved busily along Broadway, though you could count more of them. And I was still a guy waiting outside the Ed Sullivan theater, though this morning I’d never played on the stage.
www.hillcountryexplore.com
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THE ART OF
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EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
BY KRISTINE DURAN Since man had the ability to make and use tools, stonemasonry has existed. This meticulous craft of shaping rocks into precise geometrical shapes and arranging them accurately has created many historical structures that still stand today, such as the Taj Mahal and the Egyptian Pyramids. So it is no surprise when long-time Boerne resident, J.J. San Miguel of Robert San Miguel & Son Masonry reveals the history that this craft has in the San Miguel lineage and how the art form influences his everyday life. After dropping out of school at the age of fourteen, J.J.’s father Robert went into stonemasonry. By his twenties, he had started his own business, employing his brothers and even his own father. “It was a whole family thing going on,” J.J. says. “My dad was here, my grandparents were here, and my grandpa’s grandpa was here, so we’ve probably been in the Boerne area for about 130 years.” And once J.J. turned twelve, he was also contributing to the family business every summer. J.J. went into the Air Force after high school, but took over the business as soon as he returned in 1991. “I kind of got to know all of the guys [over the years], so it was a pretty easy transition when I came back,” J.J. says. Being exposed to the craft since birth, the artistic element of stonemasonry just came as second nature to him. “I do see myself as an artist,” he says. “I don’t think I have any other artistic side of me, it really all comes down to stone. You get in that niche.” He also sees each of his employees as artists in their own right. “I can look at a house that we’ve done or someone else has done and I can tell you what mason has laid what part and where another mason took over. I can pick out the little things that people do when they’re all laying down different parts of a wall.” This sophisticated eye for detail is what allows his business to provide clients with what they really want, even if they didn’t know exactly what they wanted to begin with. “Once they get to the designing stage, they already have an idea of what style they’re going for. A lot of the time, you just have to pick their brain to see which way it’s going to go. There are different classes of rock; different styles. Even just the way you clean the mortar off of the stones makes a big difference so you really have to pick your poison one way or another.” But in the end when the client asks J.J., “what do you think?” His trusted opinion sways them 90% of the time.
March 2015
Much like fashion, trends also affect what is aesthetically pleasing at a particular time as well. “It’s weird because we can go for five years doing nothing but random pieces that are all different shapes, then squares for a couple of years, then lueder stone; [the business] has these big cycles that it goes through. It’s really neat.” San Miguel tries to incorporate these trends in any project, whether it is elaborate arches or full masonry fireplaces. One prevalent trend in the industry right now: pizza ovens. His work mentality doesn’t turn off once the work day is done either. J.J. is constantly looking for new and different types of stone to introduce to his clients. He finds inspiration while running errands or on everyday outings with his family. “I recently went to a wedding in San Antonio in one of the old churches and I kept looking at the stone; checking out how they laid it,” J.J. says. “Anywhere I go, that’s what I’m looking at.” Most of the work Robert San Miguel & Son do is at Cordillera Ranch; a place they’ve seen transform since its opening. “I still remember when it would rain, trying to get up that main caliche road,” J.J. recollects of the time they worked on the sales office. “I had to put it in four wheel drive to get over the top!” But aside from Cordillera, the entire Boerne area is chockfull of San Miguel’s loyal clients. Without any advertising, the company completely runs off of word of mouth. “We’ve worked with almost every builder in Boerne over the years. People that dad has done houses for thirty or forty years ago, we are now stoning those individuals’ kids’ houses.” Although the phone never stops ringing at their offices, J.J. admits that it’s still the humble company his dad began those many years ago. Now at 78, his dad still drives some of the guys to work every morning. “We’re a small business and we make an honest living. We’re not going to get rich,” J.J. laughs. “But we make a lot of good friends and we meet a lot of good people. We just pay the bills and keep moving on.”
Robert San Miguel & Son Masonry J.J. San Miguel Frzrope2004@aol.com 210-573-5717
www.hillcountryexplore.com
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Chet hawkins, dds magd, faCd MASTERFUL DENTISTRY
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US Thank you to all our wonderful patients for a blessed year.
Master in the Academy of General Dentistry
30 YEARS EXPERIENCE
806 N. Main St. • Boerne 830-249-7870 www.drchethawkins.com
First American Realty Company Now Serving the San Antonio Metro Area! Stop by our NEW Office in Boerne, TX
Russell Tisdale
720 N. Main St. | Boerne, TX 78006 | (830) 249-3000 | Fax: (830) 331-2883 | Office Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30am - 5:00pm | Weekends by Appointment
www.firs tamericanrealty.co m
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EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
HISTORY
By Marjorie Hagy
Tusculum - Province of Boerne
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EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
Kurt Vonnegut, whom I adore, in the prologue to my favorite book of his, Slapstick, tells a story on his brother Bernard who was a scientist whose lab was always a terrible mess, “where a clumsy stranger could die in a thousand different ways.” Vonnegut tells of the time a safety officer of the company for which Bernard worked, horrified at the mess, proceeded to bawl him out about it. Bernard, “tapping his own forehead with his fingertips,” said this: “If you think this laboratory is bad, you should see what it’s like in here.” And so on. My own head space is a lot like that, crammed with assorted junk and detritus. My first bicycle- pink, with a banana seat- the cuckoo clock at my grandparent’s house, Seals & Crofts’ Summer Breeze, share space with a driedup mum emblazoned with my old boyfriend’s name and a packet of notes on purple notebook paper passed back and forth across a 7th grade classroom many moons ago. Among all that debris is a piece of equipment I like to drag out and tinker with every once in a while, a cumbersome sort of Rube Goldberg contraption that is my time machine. Like an enthusiast restoring an old muscle car, I walk around it and polish up its chrome parts, check the pressure in some of her gauges and stand back and promise myself, Someday I’ll get her working! I’ve tested and rejected different versions of the thing, like the DeLorean model that lets Marty McFly go back a little early to warn Doc and then there are two Martys running around in HIll Valley in 1985- bosh! Pure piffle. What if once he got there he decided to go BACK to the future so he could come BACK to the past and then there was yet another Marty, my gosh he could keep doing it til there were an infinity of Martys!! Not on my watch. No, the way I’ve got it mapped out, once my time machine gets up and running people won’t be able to go back to the past and just run around willy-nilly, tempting as it is to go back and strangle Hitler or trip John Wilkes Booth just before he shoots Lincoln, I mean Lord knows where that kind of thing would end up. No, all I want is the opportunity to nose around and see what was up, to walk down Main Street before it was paved and to watch the stage go through Tusculum and to be an invisible guest among the very few citizens of Boerne when they huddle together in the biggest cabin in town during an Indian raid. And yes, I’d waste all my time travel right here in my old hometown, with maybe a little pottering around in San Antonio. Like any aficionado, I like to talk about the cherry ride I’m fixing up, mostly during car trips or other situations when they can’t easily escape from me, and in talking it out I’ve decided that this is how time travel will finally be sort of achieved- now stay with me here: If you have a bunch of pictures of a place during different times of its existence, with different people walking down the streets in all the various costumes of their times, and with horses and wagons and buggies gradually giving way to the first automobiles that also evolve over the years, couldn’t someone who knows how to do these things, kind of string them together and animate them to create a virtual time machine? Well, not knowing anything at all about how one goes about the business of creating a virtual universe for the purpose of imaginary time travel, I’ll just stick my rag and my Turtle Wax back in my coverall pocket and attempt the only kind of way-back machine I can manage right now. Get back here with me and let’s try to push this baby outta the garage and onto the street to see what she can do. What I’m about to do is tell you the whole story of Boerne, to take you back in my time machine to the very beginning so we can walk through it together and see what it really looked like, maybe what it smelled like and felt like. Fasten your seatbelts, folks. In order to make a true picture of Boerne all through her history, we have to go all the way back- not, in fact, to either the primordial ooze or the Garden of Eden (wherever you are on that), but to a time when Lipan Apaches, Kiowas, Karankawas and Comanche tribes, clans, families, bands, alliances and confederations had the whole beautiful Cibolo valley to themselves. Archeological evidence has shown that these and other hunting and gathering people had been living in this area for some ten to a whopping thirty-seven thousand years before white people started showing up, but within the space of about a hundred years after Europeans began moving in, the native people had been decimated. From a population in the hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, by the dawn of the 20th century the U.S. census counted only 470 American Indians in Texas. This native population was already on the decline when the first German immigrants arrived on the site of what would become Boerne, but the Texas Hill Country was the last stronghold of the Native Americans, and the struggle between the two cultures would continue for years after the new town was founded. The political situation back in Germany that caused so many of her people to want to come to Texas and begin new lives, the awful ocean journey so many of the immigrants endured, the rotten conditions they found when they landed at the port of Indianola and the terrible time they had getting themselves overland to the Hill Country from the coast, we’ve talked about in the past, and I’m going to leave them for now. After all, we’re in a time machine in Boerne, and all that stuff happened somewhere else, right? And if I’ve whetted your appetite and you absolutely must know more, you can find those stories on the Explore website (www.hillcountryexplore.com) with the archived articles, and they ran in March, September and October of 2010.
March 2015
For whatever reasons they came here, what attracted those Germans to this area was the same thing that made this Boerne valley beloved to the natives. John G O’Grady, innkeeper, Indian fighter, postmaster, meteorologist, railroad commissioner and Boerne pioneer, would expound upon those attractions in an 1867 article he wrote about Kendall County for the Texas Almanac: what native and immigrant alike discovered in this valley was a vast virgin forest of “cypress, cedar, live-oak, post-oak, white-oak, black jack, elm, poplar, walnut, hackberry, wild apple, plum [and] cherry, etc. The county is well-watered, the Cibolo and the Guadalupe running through [it], with their many tributaries such as the Balcones, Frederick, Spring, Sabinas, Wasp, Block, Sister, Cypress and Curry’s creeks.” In addition, wrote O’Grady, “our climate is one of the best in the world, with health unsurpassed.” It was the crystal-clear waters of the Cibolo Creek that made the first eight German transplants decide on the location for their new town, and the Cibolo itself, our own town river, was described as “a rushing mountain stream which has its headwaters a few miles [above] the town and winds its way through a fertile valley which stretches away several miles on both sides to lofty, oak-clad hills.” It was a beautiful, breath-taking and life-giving place, and the natives didn’t let go without a fight. The first white settlers in this utopian Cibolo valley were eight German immigrants who’d tried founding another town a few years before, a place called Bettina on the Llano River, and who, having failed at that, had regrouped and decided to have another go in 1849. They were eight men, Adam Vogt, Rudolph Carstanjen, Fritz Kramer, Phillip Zoeller, Christian Flach, J Kuchler, Leopold Schultz and Wilhelm Friedrich, and they named their new town Tusculum after philosopher Cicero’s home in ancient Rome. No, not Boerne, Tusculum. It was to be one of the so-called “Latin Colonies”, like Sisterdale, in which learned men labored lightly on gentlemen farms and spent the rest of their time discussing philosophy and other things grandiose. Oh, and it was to be a socialist community. Churches were banned in the little village of Tusculum because the founders were hard-line Freethinkers and were sick of having religion forced upon them by the powers that be back in the Fatherland. The settlement was small and the first buildings there were of necessity rudimentary since the men who built them were in a hurry to get their first crops in the ground. Walking around Tusculum when it was a going concern, in this time machine of mine, you’d see a tiny community of rock and log houses nestling together on the north side of the Cibolo for protection against the native tribes. One of these is the home and clinic of Dr Richard Crosky, surveyor and land speculator who also treated the ills of his neighbors- the doctor and his family lived in the basement of their home, while Crosky saw patients on the main floor. In the very early days the stage coach used to pass between Dr Crosky’s house and the one next door. Now Crosky’s old home is the one building that still remains of that hopeful, stubborn little community that established itself a mile west of what is now Boerne, out Johns Road way, on land now owned by the Schwope family. We’re coming up to 1852 now, and if this thing keeps running we’ll be able to witness the arrival in the woods east of Tusculum, of a couple of fellows who’ve just purchased a big tract of this land. Their names are John James and Gustav Theissen, and they’re currently in the land speculation business. Pretty much everyone who had a couple of bucks was in the land speculation business in Texas at that time. James and Theissen were also surveyors, and right now they’re about to start laying out the plat of a new town to be built here, right down the trail from Tusculum. They were admirers of a guy back in Germany, who’d died nearly fifteen years earlier but who, during his lifetime, had been a wild-eyed liberal journalist, poet Freethinker and converted Jew, and a harsh critic of the German authorities. He was born Loeb Baruch but changed his name to Karl Ludwig Börne, and James and Theissen named their spanking new town after him. And then they began selling lots. Business was slow at first; up until 1859 there were still only ten or so houses in town. One of the very first settlers- in fact, several sources have him as THE firstwas a man named John Schertz, late of Alsace-Lorraine and yes, that Schertz, as in the town northeast of San Antonio is named for him. John and his wife Secunda (nee Ruede), along with their six-month old son, came to Boerne from New Braunfels in 1852, and in doing so they came to a wild, uninhabited, lonesome and often dangerous place. The Schertz’ cleared their acres and built their home, a three-room cabin of logs, in what a 1932 San Antonio newspaper called “a veritable wilderness.” Veritable nothing- a couple of white guys held title to most of the land and this chunk of the forest officially had a name, but it was still, in fact, very much a wilderness. Native tribes still lived in and roamed the area and were known to steal children and to kill whole families, and the first citizens of Boerne surely knew that. But bravely they built their home, and little by little, “the town of Boerne was built around the Schertz home.” New families began to trickle in, tying their own fortunes to Boerne- the Fabras came and the Schaffers, the Staffels and the Wendlers and the Pettisons and the Burkes, all among the first citizens of the new town of Boerne. Their homes they built as close together as possible, for “mutual protection,” as one San Antonio newspaper put it, against “roving bands of hostile redskins who were a constant menace to the settlers.” The Schertz home was the biggest cabin in town at that time, indeed, “it was often called a mansion by other settlers,” according to Mary Schertz
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Becker- who was the first white child born in the town of Boerne, in 1854, in the Schertz ‘mansion’. It was to the Schertz home that the handful of townspeople retreated during times of Indian trouble, when the young village was under siege. “On these occasions, with arms bristling everywhere, Mrs Becker said her father’s house had all the appearance of a young fort.” Mary’s mother forbade her children from playing at the nearby Cibolo after she herself was surprised there while washing clothes by a band of Indians in the tangle of woods around her. Mary’s father one night, nervous at reports of activity in the neighborhood, shot out a window of his home at what he feared was an intruder, accidentally killing a pet horse instead. So what we’re not seeing on this journey back into the misty past is a bunch of happy, rosy-cheeked Germans arriving to whoop it up with their windmills and vereins, but a group of stalwart, indomitable pioneers facing unimaginable hardships in a world so far removed from the lives they’d known that they might have been on a whole new planet. The windmills and vereins would come, but only through the effort of people like these Schertz’ and Wendlers and Burkes who toughed it out and built a town out of raw materials much with their bare hands. Where was this first house of the first citizens in Boerne? It was located about where Ebensberger-Fisher Funeral Home is today, on present-day Rosewood Avenue. After the old Schertz ‘mansion’ was razed, Mary Schertz Becker would go on to build a wood and limestone home of her own on that site which she would still later open as the Becker House Hotel in the Resort Era, and when that, too, was torn down some of the wood was used to build the funeral home. Maybe some of the wood from the mansion went into the Becker House, then into the foundation of the 1938 art deco building that still houses the funeral home - wouldn’t that be something? . So walking in the past during the 1850s, what we see is a little community called Tusculum, a collection of log and limestone houses, many of the dog-run style, with two small rooms connected by an open porch with an outdoor kitchen, and all of them huddled on the north side of the Cibolo Creek. And a couple of miles away, the town of Boerne, another assortment of tiny houses near the same creek, a few curves in the river south and east. Indians come into and out of the picture. A stage passes through Tusculum at odd intervals. The settlers clear their fields, build rock fences, wash their clothes in the creek, take cover together in one of the houses. They are slowly carving a life out of the wilderness. Life was lived very close to the bone in those first years. One pioneer wife wrote back to Germany of her new life in Texas: “[W]ith what joy did we move into our ‘Home in the New World’...Of course we are very primitive just now. We bought a kitchen table for one bit. We sit on trunks and boxes and drink from tin cups. We have one cooking pot and one pan for cornbread.” The settlers built their furniture, chairs and bedsteads and so on, as they could between clearing their land and farming it, tending their gardens and their livestock and their children and battling the natives and the brutal heat and sudden cold snaps. Remember, too, that these weren’t folks necessarily used to roughing it- most if not all of the people who came to found the Latin colonies were wealthy, privileged, educated people in their homeland, not brought up to sitting on boxes and drinking out of tin cups. Those who settled in Boerne were a bit more inured to the pioneer experience, most of them having already settled in places like brand-new New Braunfels, but the villagers in Tusculum were fresh off the boat, with only whatever experience they’d garnered in their Bettina experiment, which hadn’t exactly been a rollicking success. Keep in mind, remember, that at this point in our blast to the past, Tusculum and Boerne are two separate communities, separated by only a couple of miles, but both still autonomous, both drawing their own new settlers. Don’t forget that- Tusculum didn’t ever actually become Boerne. They were two different animals from the very beginning. Anyway, you’ll notice as we walk along this trail in Boerne in the 1850s, “a trail which is now [1932] the San AntonioKerrville Highway,” and which would become Highway 87, and Main Street, that the houses might not look like you thought they would. Most of them aren’t the standard limestone-block farmhouses that everybody loves these days, and that to many represent the ‘authentic’ German Hill Country style. The first settlers had a lot to do just to feed themselves, and getting a crop into the ground was their first priority. Mining limestone and fashioning it into blocks is hard, time-consuming labor, and the nearest quarry was near San Antonio, in what is today Brackenridge Park and the San Antonio Zoo, and to haul enough limestone from that distance, by wagon and over the rough trails of the day, was unthinkable. The German immigrants built their first houses as quickly and easily as they could, and most if not all of the buildings in Boerne were log cabins, or in German, Fachwerk. The trees were certainly available, and a house that would provide shelter for the family and protection against both the elements and the Indians was quickly built. These cabins would have had a large vegetable garden beside or behind them as there were no stores for them to buy their vegies, and yes, windmills soon began appearing. But those cabins, the first homes in Boerne, they wouldn’t survive forever. Once they got a little ahead, a lot of folks would build bigger, more permanent houses, out of limestone or with wooden planks from the saw and grist mill William Dietert would open in 1854, and mid-19th century German immigrants weren’t overly sentimental about their would-be historical cabins. They were shrewd and practical folks, and those first houses became outbuildings and livestock sheds and barns and things, and finally they would be torn down. Or destroyed by fire. But in the 1850s, Boerne was built mostly out of wood. One thing you might recognize, though it looks wildly different than it does in 2015, is Main Plaza. James and Theissen laid it out when the platted the townsite, but there was no gazebo in the 1850s and no Village Band, yet. They use the place for penning livestock for when the cattle drives come through town, or as a sort of marketplace when there got to be enough people to trade goods around. There was no Kendall Inn yet, either, nor the Dienger building, nor any of the things that anchor the Plaza these days. Those all come along in the future.
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EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
What is your favorite Broadway musical? Do you have time to head to New York City for your favorite show? What if we told you we were bringing those Broadway artists to Boerne, Texas? And is it possible that somewhere in their two-hour performance on March 15, a selection of one of your favorites from the best of Broadway will be belted out by a bevy of Broadway stars? Well, the ticket queue starts here! Over the past 102 years, Broadway hits have topped the charts with long running shows such as CATS, The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Les Miserables, and The Sound of Music. Each of these shows has produced songs that we find ourselves singing in the shower, or whistling as we do yardwork, or actually doing a sing-a-long with the recordings in the privacy of our own homes. Let’s set the stage for Broadway’s arrival in Boerne with the stars that will blow you away!
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EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
RICHARD TODD ADAMS Imagine having the opportunity to hear a star that has performed the “Big Three” leading male roles of all time. The incredibly talented Richard Todd Adams has done just that! He has performed as The Phantom, Jean Valjean and Javert (both from Les Miserables). And to top it off, Richard is a native Texan who studied at Trinity University (just south of Boerne, Texas) before heading off to Juilliard and the lights of Broadway.
CARTER CALVERT From performing in the national tour of CATS as Grizabella, to originating the role in the Tony-nominated Aint’ Nothin’ But the Blues, Carter Calvert hails from Cincinnati. In addition to Broadway, her credits include playing opposite Sally Struthers, she has made appearances on The David Letterman Show, Rosie O’Donnell Show, and The Today Show…plus opened for Liza Minnelli, The Temptations and even Chubby Checker.
CHUCK WAGNER Put a little Disney in the mix and you have the all-time favorite, Beauty and the Beast. Yes, the Beast is coming to Boerne! Chuck Wagner starred in a 4-year stint in this incredible role on Broadway in addition to originating title roles in Jekyll & Hyde and Svengali. In his “off-Broadway” time he has made guest appearances on The Dukes of Hazzard, Dynasty, Matlock, and As the World Turns.
ANDREA RIVETTE Andrea Rivette’s star roles include Christine in The Phantom of the Opera, Emma Carew in Jekyll and Hyde, Ellen in Miss Saigon, and her dream role of Fantine in Les Miserables. Other favorite roles include: Showboat, The Fantasticks, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Irving Berlin’s White Christmas.
DANNY ZOLLI Add a superstar from Jesus Christ Superstar, the rock opera from the 1970’s… Enter Danny Zolli! Best known for his monumental number of performances starring as Jesus & Judas in more than 23 productions of Jesus Christ Superstar worldwide! Zolli has shared the stage with José Carreras, Linda Eder, Betty Buckley and Trisha Yearwood.
The stage is now set with the sensational all-star New York band that provides the back-up to these artists. Head out the door for the five-minute drive to Boerne’s Champion Auditorium located at 201 Charger Blvd. Dinner, you ask? Select from several fine local restaurants, park at the door with no parking fees, and stroll through the live oak trees on your way to the auditorium. Broadway is at your doorstep! Adult tickets range in price from $30-$60, and as with all Boerne Performing Arts events, student tickets are $20. At the time of publication, 216 seats remain for the event. Print your own tickets at home through online ticketing at www.BoernePerformingArts.com. Or, if you are out and about, stop by the Greater Boerne Chamber of Commerce or the Boerne Convention and Visitors Bureau for personal ticketing assistance. Phone orders can also be placed at the Boerne Performing Arts Message Line (830.331.9079). Opening Night: March 15. Curtain Time: 7:30 p.m. Location: off Highway 46 (and not 42nd Street!) You’ll be singing the “Lullabies of Broadway” as you leave the show!
March 2015
www.hillcountryexplore.com
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SPIRITUAL
By Kendall D. Aaron
We all tend to worry a lot. We all do it – we worry about our jobs and our kids and our relationships and our money. We worry about war, and politics, and even the weather. Whatever it is – somebody, somewhere is actively stressed and worrying about something. It could be something global: “Man, I hate to see those poor African kids on the tv infomercials – I worry about them so much…I wish that somebody could help them!” Or it could be something personal: “I’m so worried about my career. It’s going nowhere. This is awful!” We worry about big stuff, and we worry about little stuff. We wring our hands, and talk about it incessantly over coffee, and we stare at our ceilings while we lay in bed and just wrack our brains seeking the solution to it all. I had just lost my job one time. I stood in my kitchen, hand on the counter, and blabbered away to a friend about how awful this was, and what was I going to do, and the bills, and damn near hyper-ventilated myself into unconsciousness. My fears and anxiety was certainly justified, in that it was certainly not going to be an easy time. I would have to find a part-time job, cancel day care, and shut down any expense deemed extraneous. I had to brush up my resume, start networking, and beat the street like none other in order to find my next gig. That episode in my kitchen was sometime in 2006. I can’t remember exactly when it was. Want to know why? It’s because it wasn’t important. While I stood in the kitchen and blabbed with my friend, he said, “Look, take a deep breath. Tell me – what is the absolute worst thing that can happen?” I sighed and told him about how I could potentially lose my car, and struggle for food, and would have to shut down this very phone I was talking on, and begin mowing lawns to make grocery money. “Ok”, he said. “So, are you going to die?” No you dolt, I said. “Are your kids going to die? Do you think you’ll have to lose your home? Will you be living on the street in a month, and do you think you will end up drunk in a gutter somewhere? Well, DO YOU?” After a few minutes at being irritated at his line of questioning, ultimately, I had to take a deep breath and admit that things would probably be ok. They might not be easy, but yes, they would probably work out. Friends, how many times have you had a complete FREAK OUT moment like me? Has it been a while, or did you have one just last week? Proverbs 19:21 is a favorite of mine: “Many are the plans in the mind of man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” Many are the plans in the mind of man. Yeah, that sounds about right. I’ve got plans for
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this week, this month, this year, and this decade. I’ve got the entire dang thing planned out. I know exactly how it’s supposed to go, and let me tell ya, there is no deviation in my plan. My plans are many, and my plans are MINE. And then things break down and don’t go as planned. You lose your job, you get sick, your car breaks down, your home burns down. Whatever it is, it WILL happen. I’m not here to make light of REAL issues, either. I recently lost a family member. I had this same discussion with myself upon diagnosis: “Ok, what’s the absolute worst that can happen?” And yes, my answer was, “He will die.” But it didn’t change the plans of my God. I still had to sit there and cry it out and say, “Ok, then if that is what is to happen, the only thing I can do is navigate it in a way that is honoring of you, God.” And so I’d like to say that I did. I certainly had my moments, but what would my worrying have accomplished? Would it have changed anything? Nope. Would “life” still have followed the plan of God? The one that I really, really did NOT like and did not want to happen? Absolutely. To have the trust in God that “things will just be ok” is not an easy one. Sometimes things don’t just work out. Sometimes everything falls apart and you really do find yourself homeless. Sometimes your friends and family (or you) actually die. Sometimes the worst that can happen really happens. And it’s utterly miserable. But all you have to hold to is the last part of the verse above: The purpose of the Lord will stand. That pain, that struggle, that fear that you are engulfed in is serving a purpose. It’s changing your life. It’s moving your heart. It’s following a story that was written for you before time began, and it is God’s purpose for you. Sure, you can worry, and you probably will because you are a regular ol’ run-of-the-mill sinner, just like everyone. What I pray for you is that, at some point, you find the peace in the moment that God can provide, trust His plan, and make it your finest moment. Face the adversity, and re-emerge knowing that you tried to honor God throughout. Don’t worry about the circumstance. Instead, worry that you trust enough. If you do, life will be exponentially less scary.
EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
March 2015
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7
zany spring break By Kristine Duran
March means more sunshine, birds laying eggs, crops being planted and SPRING BREAK! Whether you want to spend your mini vacay with the entire family, your significant other or alone, make the break count this year by trying something new and exciting. Save yourself from hearing, “I’m bored,” all week with one (or all) of these unconventional daytrips.
Dig for Topaz (87.9 miles from Boerne) If digging for gold isn’t your thing, opt for the excavation of Texas’ state gem, Blue Topaz. Sift through the earth with only a pick, shovel and wire screen for the rare quartz-like stone and keep everything you find! There are a few ranches in the state that offer Topaz hunting, but the Garner Seaquist Ranch in Mason County is the most renowned. For more information, visit www.MasonTexasTopaz.com.
Cruise Your Dream Car (103 miles from Boerne) Are your slumbers laced with visions of you driving a mirrored Lamborghini with a full head of hair and the babliest of babes by your side? Well then drive your 1997 hooptie up I-35 where the folks at Driveway Austin can make at least one of those dreams a reality. Hop into an exotic supercar with 3 lap sessions of long curves and sharp turns or sit passenger for a Ride-Along. For more information, visit www. DrivewayAustin.com or www.TheXtremeXperience.com.
Take a Haunted Ghost Tour (33.2 miles from Boerne) Take the kids on tour of the jail where child killer Clemente Apolinar was the last man hanged in San Antonio, as well as the home where the city’s most grisly murder took place among other spooktastic landmarks. Ghost hunting equipment is provided. Some have even reported hearing whispers. EEK! Just don’t send me angry emails when your kid won’t sleep in their own bed. www.AlamoCityGhostTours.com
SUP Yoga (Boerne) Oooommm… Use this break from the weekly grind to align your chakra. Take meditation to another dimension with Stand Up Paddleboard Yoga. Stay close to home and practice reconnecting to nature at Boerne City Lake with other like-minded yogis on Thursdays and Saturdays. For more information, visit www.HillCountryPaddleSports.com.
Jump Yourself Silly (24.6 miles from Boerne) We all get a little envious of the pure, innocent enjoyment on children’s faces in a bounce house. If you avoid the blow-up castles for fear of it tipping over because you exceed that pesky weight limit, ThinAir is here for you. Their modern 30,000 sq. ft. facility contains 12,000 sq. ft. of connected trampolines and foam pits, complete with challenges and activities. Monday is family night! www.ThinAirPark.com
Party with the Stars (383 miles from Boerne) The stars just don’t shine as bright here as they do in West Texas. Take a romantic getaway or family trip to McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis to attend a Star Party. You will be taken on constellation tours and view celestial objects from a range of telescopes during this two-hour program. Extend your trip and visit the mystical desert of Marfa only 45 minutes away!
Fly Above the Treetops (86.3 miles from Boerne) Albert Einstein said, “Look deep into nature and then you will understand everything better.” Rejuvenate your senses to the sounds of waterfalls, birds chirping and fireflies dancing while soaring through 100 feet tall cypress trees. Reserve your tour now at www.CypressValleyCanopyTours.com.
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EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
Gentle, Caring, Family Practice, Courteous Professional Staff • State of the Art Procedures & Techniques
WE’ VE RECENTLY E XPANDED George E. Metz III, DDS • Michael Hoeppner, DDS
830-229-5581
Gentle, Caring, Family Practice, Courteous Professional Staff State of the Art Procedures & Techniques
NowRaccepting appointments for Kevin Beitchman, DDS, MS - Orthodontist WE’ VE ECENTLY E X PA N DED George E. Metz III, DDS • Michael Hoeppner, DDS
Kendall Woods Dental 830-229-5581
25 FM 3351 South Boerne, Texas 78006
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Now accepting appointments for Kevin Beitchman, DDS, MS - Orthodontist
Kendall Woods Dental EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
Premier Custom Home Builder in the Texas Hill Country For over 40 years, KCN has been building beautiful custom homes of all sizes in Boerne, Comfort, Bandera, Castroville and throughout the Texas Hill Country.
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2442 Nacogdoches San Antonio, TX 78217 Open Sun-Thurs 11-9;
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830-816-5202 920 East Blanco Road Boerne, TX 78006 www.kcnbuilders.com
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As Seen On:
39390 W IH 10 #C - Boerne, Tx 78006 830-981-2210 (p) | 830-755-6055 (f) showroom by appointment
March 2015
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If you pride yourself on being a coffee aficionado because your Starbucks order contains twelve syllables, prepare to be schooled. You might think that your fancy latte is expensive, but when it comes to some of the best coffees in the world, the cheapest rings in at $24 a pound. Here is a few of the most expensive coffees in the world.
Located around 1,200 miles from the coast of Africa, St. Helena Island is cultivating their most popular coffee. Thanks to Napolean Bonaparte, who made its popularity. This coffee goes for around $79 a pound! One of the most expensive coffee in the world is this bad boy, also commonly known as Civit coffee. It usually runs for $160 per pound, But before you decide to give it a try you might want to hold your breath. This particular type of coffee can only be produced after it has passed through the digestive system of a certain animal, the mongoose.
The Blue Mountain coffee, from the name itself, is grown in Jamaica’s Blue Mountains. The best produce of this particular type of coffee is known for its lack of bitterness and mild flavor. This coffee usually runs for about $49 per pound. This is one coffee you must try!
The Hacienda La Esmeralda coffee is grown specifically in Boquete, Panama. People from all over the world enjoy this type of coffee because of its unique taste. It is mostly cultivated under the shades of old guava trees. If you want to be able to try the Hacienda La Esmeralda coffee, be prepared to pay for a minimum of $104 a pound!
Here’s another stomach turner for you, this specific coffee is produced also by passing through and animal’s digestive system. The Elephant! Hailing from Thailand’s Golden Triangle , Black Ivory is one of the world’s most rarest and expensive coffee. On a lighter note, these elephants are street rescued elephants at the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation.
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EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
$3,850,000 | 35 Old San Antonio Rd | Boerne | 78006 14 acre Retreat in Boerne. 8,000 + living sq. feet. 2 main houses (one is a 1890 renovated stone paradise), 2 guest cottages, pool, out door entertaining, century-old oaks, and a workshop with RV storage. Commercial Potential. Do not miss out on this masterpiece.
angela@smvtexas.com www.boernetexashomes.com
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C 210.912.8221 | P 830.816.2288 F 830.816.5903
Bluebonnet Realty
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EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
Good news: warmer weather is on its way! I can already feel the 75 degree awesomeness along with the pressure to get into bikini bod shape. But never mind that second part; let’s have a cookout! Here are two recipes to get you back into your grilling groove along with an alfresco take on bananas foster for a sweet finish. YUM!
Fish Steaks with Tomato-Orange Salsa
Grilled Tenderloin of Beef with Spicy Herb Vinaigrette
•3 navel oranges •¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil (extra for brushing) •1 tbsp minced shallot •½ tsp coarse sea salt •½ tsp freshly ground black pepper •4 (6-ounce, 1-inch thick) salmon, swordfish or cod steaks •1 lb mixed cherry or pear tomatoes, halved •1/3 cup torn basil leaves •1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
Vinaigrette: •1 cup (loosely packed) parsley leaves •1 cup (loosely packed) basil leaves •½ cup (loosely packed) mint leaves •1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves •¼ tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste) •1 large clove garlic •2 tbsp white wine vinegar •2/3 cup olive oil •1 tsp kosher salt (or to taste) Beef: •1 (5- to 6-pound) beef tenderloin, trimmed •2 tbsp olive oil •2 tsp kosher salt •2 tsp cracked black pepper
Directions: 1. Zest about 2 teaspoons of 1 orange and reserve. Cut the peel away from the oranges; slice the segments and reserve. Squeeze the juice from the oranges into a small bowl and add the orange zest, 2 tbsp of oil, shallot and half of the salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture into a large food-storage bag, adding fish steaks; seal bag and turn to coat. Let marinate at room temperature while grill is prepared. 2. Salsa: Mix the orange segments, tomatoes, basil, olives, remaining olive oil and salt and pepper. 3. Heat up your grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat. Remove fish steaks from marinade. Oil the grill rack as well as the fish steaks. Grill over direct heat for 10 minutes, turning once or until opaque but moist in the center. Top with tomatoorange salsa.
Directions: 1. Vinaigrette: Use a blender or food processor with a knife blade to combine herbs, red pepper flakes and garlic. Pulse until chopped well. Add vinegar and pulse. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil until the mixture is almost pureed. Add salt to taste and transfer to a serving bowl. 2. Beef: Preheat your grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat. Brush meat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place meat on grill, cover and cook for 30-40 minutes, turning every 5. Rare: remove from grill when thermometer reads 115 degrees. Medium rare: 120 degrees. Let sit for 20 minutes. Cut and serve warm, topped with herb vinaigrette.
Grilled Cinnamon-Sugar Bananas with Vanilla Ice Cream & Bourbon •Vegetable oil •4 bananas, ripe but not too soft •1 tbsp granulated sugar •1 tsp ground cinnamon •1 pint vanilla ice cream •½ to ¾ cup toasted pecan pieces •2 tbsp bourbon Directions: Preheat your grill for direct grilling over medium heat. Brush the grate clean. Slice the bananas with their skin in half lengthwise and then across so that each banana contains four pieces. Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Gently sprinkle the cut sides of the bananas with some of the cinnamon sugar. Let sit 5 minutes to let the sugar begin to dissolve. Put the bananas cut side down on the grate and cover the grill. Cook until marks appear (2 to 3 minutes). Using tongs, flip the bananas, cover the grill, and grill until the skin starts to pull away from the banana (5 minutes or so). Remove from the grill and let cool for 2.5 minutes. Peel and serve the bananas on top of vanilla ice cream, sprinkled with the pecan pieces and drizzled with bourbon.
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EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
Mary Mellard, DDS
Randy Mellard, DDS, MS
• American Dental Association
• American Dental Association
• Texas Dental Association
• Texas Dental Association
• San Antonio Dental Society
• San Antonio Dental Society
• Academy of General Dentistry
• Academy of General Dentistry
DENTISTRY for the WHOLE FAMILY
The minute you walk through the doors at Mellard Dentistry, you will know you’ve come to the right place. Dr. Mary Mellard and Dr. Randy Mellard, a well-regarded husband-and-wife dental team, will help make you and your family more comfortable than you ever thought possible. Both doctors received their degrees from the University of Texas at Houston, and each year they continue to study advanced, postgraduate dentistry with some of the best-known clinicians in the country, In addition, Dr. Randy Mellard is a specialist in periodontology (gum therapy), and has advanced training in implant dentistry. But despite their clinical accolades, Dr. Mellard and Dr. Mellard do something all too rare in today’s rushed world... they listen, and get to know each patient one-on-one. So whether you’re looking for advanced cosmetic and restorative dentistry or simply a dentist to help maintain your family’s dental health, join us. We’ll give you something to smile about! Dr. Mary Mellard and Dr. Randy Mellard have been married more than twenty years, and have four children. They are native Texans, and enjoy being active in our local community.
Important Awards: Fellow, Academy of General Dentistry - Dr. Mary & Dr. Randy Mellard Master, Academy of General Dentistry - Dr. Mary Mellard Lifelong Learning and Service Recognition Award - Dr. Mary Mellard (one of 10 dentists in the state)
Comprehensive Dental Care
Cosmetic and Aesthetic Dentistry
• Great with children and adults • Professional dental cleanings • State-of-the-art equipment • Digital x-rays significantly reduce radiation • We make your comfort our priority • Periodontal specialist on staff
• Advanced training in cosmetic dentistry • Invisalign® “invisible” orthodontics • Galileos ® 3D Dental Imaging System • Implants to replace missing teeth
Twice nominated as Texas Dentist of the Year (2007 & 2009) - Dr. Mary Mellard Master of Science in Periodontics, University of Texas -Dr. Randy Mellard
Services Offered:
Sedation Dentistry for fearful patients or long procedures All-on-Four Smile in a Day Same day crowns (Cerec) Implants Six Month Smiles Cosmetic makeovers Invisalign Non-surgical treatment for gum disease
CARE for the whole Children deserve a wonderful dental experience. We encourage parents to bring their children in for a visit any time after their first birthday. Your child will love it here!
Now Welcoming New Patients
(210) 782-8421
www.mellarddentistry.com
Creating the healthy beautiful smile of your dreams in a comfortable caring atmosphere
LIFE
By Paul Wilson
Imagine… After years of early mornings, lots of late nights, your fair share of failures and plenty of disappointments, all of your hard work is finally paying off. You have hit the big time! Your ship has finally come in. That product you have developed, that service you have perfected, or that performance you’ve mastered has finally received the notoriety it deserves, and you’ve been ushered into a whole new income bracket. You are now making the kind of money you only dreamed. For the first time in your life you are finally in a position to build the house of your dreams. I’m talking about every room and every convenience you’ve coveted on Pinterest or drooled over in Architectural Digest. With your newfound success, your dream house is just months away from becoming a reality. Now, you wouldn’t even think of trying to build your dream house without a set of blueprints, would you? That would be ridiculous! There isn’t a builder in his right mind that would take on the project of building the house of your dreams without a comprehensive set of architectural drawings from which to work. Both of you know it would be impossible to turn your dream into bricks and mortar without a plan to follow. And yet… that is exactly how many people go about living their one and only life. We have high-definition dreams of the life we’d like to live but no blueprint to get there. You imagine things you’d like to do, to experience, to accomplish, or to contribute before you die. You have passions that percolate just below the surface, longing to find an opportunity to find expression. You have a message you’d like to share with others or a contribution you’d like to make to your world, even if it’s just a little corner of it. Whether we are talking about your Bucket List or noble ambitions to leave your world a better place, without a plan to follow it’s just not going to happen quite like you’ve dreamed! I believe everybody has a dream. Unfortunately, very few people give themselves the permission to possess that dream, define it clearly, build a plan to pursue it, or leverage their time and energy toward it as a priority. Sadly, for most people, their dreams lie dormant under a pile of expectations and obligations that others demand of them at the expense of their own happiness. Years and years of worthy pursuits like Marriage, Parenting, and Career pass by while their dreams sit longingly waiting for them to give it a chance. Your parents told you your dream could never make a living. Your preacher told you your dream was selfish. Your friends told you it was impossible. Society told you it wouldn’t work. You told yourself that you didn’t have enough education, experience, talent, time, money, space, credentials, connections, or courage to do it successfully. So you stopped dreaming your dream. And yet, there it lies in the background of your life hoping for you to give it another try; the angst of noble ambitions stirring in your soul. Unfortunately, most people have no clearly defined plan for building the life they’ve always imagined. I mean, other than, perhaps, the script handed to them by parents or the template defined by their friends and neighbors. Sadly, the only plans most people have for their lives are the ones helping their boss’ dream come true. Without a blueprint, the likelihood of building the kind of life you’ve always dreamed is very unlikely. It doesn’t matter how much you want or wish for the life of your dreams. Without a plan, it just isn’t going to happen.
Now, before there is any misunderstanding, let me clarify what I mean by “the life of your dreams.” I am not talking about a life of unlimited narcissistic pleasure and materialistic prosperity. (I hate to break it to you, but that’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Just ask a long line of Hollywood celebrities and corporate millionaires.) I am talking about something more noble; something more satisfying. What we really long for is a life of peace, contentment, joy, purpose, meaning, love, significance, and the fulfillment that comes with it. If we know that money can’t buy happiness, why do we keep falling for the same ruse?
So Dang Predictable As a Life Coach, I am intrigued with understanding all I can about the way life works. This is essential to my work of helping clients develop a strategy for living their lives with greater purpose and passion. After thirty years of research and observation, I have concluded human beings can be incredibly predictable in their behavior. That is actually good news for anybody who wishes to be happy. Here’s why. If our lives are so dang predictable, it is possible to crack the code of our individual behaviors and then leverage them to work in our favor. In other words, we can break bad habits that rob us of happiness and replace them with healthy habits that reward us with it. It would be possible to create a life for ourselves that is equally healthy and happy; satisfying and fulfilling. With the right thoughts, proper choices and correct habits, we could build a life that looks like the one we’ve always wanted. With the right blueprints, we could build the “life of our dreams.” In general, all of us do the same things in our lives. The faces and names are different. A few of the details are unique. However, in the end, all of us spend our lives thinking similar thoughts, feeling similar emotions, harboring similar attitudes, pursuing similar priorities, making similar mistakes, battling similar insecurities, managing similar dysfunctions, experiencing similar heartaches, and enjoying similar successes. The predictability of human behavior is why there are so many books written in the “self-help” genre. The entire self-improvement industry of books and products (i.e. diet, exercise, relationship, and money) is built around the fact that people generally think and do the same things over and over again. Bestsellers in the personal development niche become the rage of the reading public because so many people share similar challenges. The predictability of human behavior is the playground of advertisers. Companies spend billions of dollars figuring out the common traits and triggers of how human beings think, choose and act. From selling luxury automobiles to laundry detergent, Madison Avenue makes a fortune figuring out the predictable behaviors of their target demographic. With focus groups and test markets, they can develop billion dollar products by creating sales pitches that appeal to the most common behaviors of the greatest number of people. And boy, are they good at it. They definitely have us figured out.
What a lousy way to live. I don’t want to live like that! Do you? I believe there is a better way.
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EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
The fact that stereotypes are so prevalent in our social vernacular is further proof of the predictability of human behavior. For example, just choose any experience in life and immediately familiar words and images come to mind.
The Life Diet
•Teenagers •Newlyweds •First-time parents •20-somethings •Middle aged males •Retired seniors •Women •Men •Lawyers •Used car salesmen •Soccer Moms A stereotype is an overgeneralization drawn about people based on common attitudes and behaviors. Recurring behavior becomes “stereotypical.” Stereotypes exist because certain behaviors are true of these groups and have become generalized by their frequent occurrence. The reason we can talk in familiar terms about these common seasons of life is because people share so many similar experiences in them. So if our behavior is that predictable and if it is possible to alter our patterns, we are faced with three questions: •Why not create new patterns of behavior and leverage them for more noble pur poses and greater fulfillment? •Why not shape the activities of our lives to accomplish our dreams and desires? •Why not spend the time of our lives having the time of our lives?
Your Life in Two Words At the risk of sounding like some Eastern mystic, the pursuit of life essentially boils down to just two things: Energy and Time. Everything you do in a day, a week and a month exacts an expenditure of energy from you. Mental energy, emotional energy, physical energy, and relational energy are the most common forms. In turn, every outlay of energy is distributed over the seconds, minutes and hours of your life. There is not a single activity (Energy) of your life that happens without the passing of seconds (Time). All those activities add up to become the days, weeks, months and years of your life. Together they tell the story of your life. Here’s what I’ve discovered: If you look at your story close enough and long enough, you will find patterns. Your story is a reflection of patterns in your thinking, choices, and behavior. Curiously, as unique as you believe you are, your patterns will not look all that different from most of your peers. You get up in the morning. Shower and shave. Grab some breakfast. Head off to work. Come home. Eat dinner. Take your kids to their activities. Bring them home, and get them off to bed. Then you finish some reports, watch some television, do some reading, or surf the internet before falling into bed exhausted. And you’ll do it all over again…for the next fifty years of your one and only life.
March 2015
Now imagine what you could make of your life if you harnessed your energy and time in a passionate and purposeful pursuit of what you most want out of life. Imagine if you had a plan – a set of blueprints – for living your life on purpose rather than autopilot.
We all know what a diet is. A diet is simply an eating strategy. It is plan to follow for losing weight. It is the discipline of eating some foods and avoiding others toward the goal of shedding fat. Couple that with an exercise plan – also a strategy – and you can literally shape both how you feel and how you look. As long as you diligently stick to the plan, right? why couldn’t the same principles of an effective strategy work for our life? With the right strategy – a blueprint to follow – it is possible to “go on a diet” that would result in greater amounts of happiness while building the life of our dreams. Think about it. If you step back and take a look at the journey of life, it is all pretty simple. Everything that occurs between our birth and our death is what we call “life.” If you have a good set of blueprints for your life and follow them carefully, you could build a beautiful life. As much as we’d like to do everything our little hearts desire, we just don’t have the time or the energy to do it all. So what if we chose a few of the most important things we’d love to do while we have the time and energy? What if we turned that list into a plan; a singular strategy for how to prioritize our time and our talents? If we would choose to focus on a well-thought out plan built around our greatest ambitions, we could – with a lot of determination, discipline and diligence – accomplish a lot in our lifetimes. A life well lived begins with a focus on a well-defined plan. I assure you, without your own set of blueprints, you’ll just end up building your life according to somebody else’s design. As anybody who has ever tried to “lose a little weight” has discovered, there are both healthy and unhealthy food in the diet equation. Healthy and unhealthy don’t just pertain to food. There are also healthy and unhealthy habits created by healthy and unhealthy thoughts, choices, goals, beliefs, values, and priorities that influence every pursuit of our lives. It is possible to “lose the unwanted weight” of unhappiness that burdens our spirits and robs us of the satisfaction that comes with living a truly fulfilling life. Imagine living with purpose, passion and peace. Imagine living in harmony with the people in your life. Imagine feeling and looking great physically. Imagine loving what you do for a living each day. That’s not intended to sound like some late-night infomercial. (“And if you act right now, we’ll send you this fifteen piece Ginsu knife set completely free. Operators are standing by. This offer is not available in stores. Call now.”) It really is possible to live our lives with greater intentionality for more noble purposes. A strategy is simply a plan for achieving a particular result. So why not build a strategy for your life? I have created a coaching curriculum I call “The Life Diet.” While you will lose weight using principles from The Life Diet, it is more about living a healthier, more fulfilling life. I’d be happy to share it with you through a guided experience if you are interested. Visit my Life Coaching website at www.paulwilsonTX.com to learn more.
www.hillcountryexplore.com
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Rehabilitate in Boerne, One Step Closer to Home
Cibolo Creek provides accommodations
in the heart of Boerne, with individualized therapy programs that enable one to return home quickly. By receiving rehabilitation services close to home, family and friends are able to visit often and with ease.
Cibolo Creek stands apart by:
• Being the most contemporary rehabilitation facility in Boerne • Providing physical, occupational, speech, and vital stim therapy in a modern and innovative setting under the guidance of highly trained and experienced therapists • Offering both inpatient and outpatient therapy services to improve one’s overall strength and mobility • Facilitating admissions 24/7
1440 River Road • Boerne, Texas 78006 • 830.816.5095
C ibolo C reek H ealtH . org
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EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
OLD TIMER
TAKE-N-BAKE PIZZA JOINTS: We have one in town, and no, I’ve never tried it. I’m sure it’s extremely good. However, this entire model is perplexing to me. It seems like it’s the equivalent to picking up some take-out BBQ (that’s still raw) and being sent home to cook it my damn self. Pizzas are supposed to brag about HOW their pizzas are cooked, be it with an open flame, brick oven, etc. Taking it home and throwing it in my 30y old gas oven doesn’t seem like the best way to produce great pizza.
CITY UTILITIES: My neighbor just moved in and had to set up his utilities with the City. They demanded a $400 deposit before they would turn it on. This is something that only government could pull off. Let’s see – he fails to pay for his service. The City then cuts his service, and he sits in a dark house with no electricity and no heat. That seems like more than enough of a threat to ensure compliance. Taking $400 from him so that the City can earn interest on it is beyond stupid.
LOCAL RESALE SHOPS: My God, they are everywhere. If I had to guess, I’d say that we have at least a dozen resale shops just on Main Street. Yeah, I’m sure they all benefit some worthy charity, but should this much retail real estate be chewed up with what is essentially a garage sale? My favorite part: I have noted on multiple locations a Maserati, a Ferrari, and several Porsches parked outside of these places. “C’mon honey, jump in the Ferrari. We’re going furniture shopping!”
PAYDAY LOAN PLACES: Boerne is an extremely wealthy community. We like to act like we’re just good ol’ country folk, but we as a community are pretty damn high on the median income chart. At the same time, we have at least 3 Payday loan places. Who lives here that is in a position to take out a predatory loan (remembering that we have a zillion resale shops that benefit charities designed to help people)? And, how can there be so many people doing this that it can support 3 of these loan-shark operations??
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GENT: Fancy barber shop place on Blanco. A bit too fancy, if you ask me. When I walk into my barber shop, there’s a dog sleeping in the corner. I fought in WWII with my barber. GENT has all these fancy chairs and TVs and whatnot… pfffft. If someone doesn’t scream out “Obama is a socialist!!” at some point during my haircut, I’m leaving. I’ll take a rusty razor shave before you’ll catch me getting doted upon. Real men aren’t scared of a little tetanus.
EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
10% OFF ALL ARCHERY ACCESSORIES
WITH THE PURCHASE OF ANY BOW with coupon. Expires 4/30/2015.
3351 SOUTH #115, BOERNE, TEXAS
830-336-3466
Bear Archery now offered at Twisted Oak Hunting & Fishing Supply
March 2015
NOW OPEN
www.hillcountryexplore.com
AT 46 CROSSING, IN BERGHEIM, BEHIND VALERO
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