July 2014
Ryan Stewart, Fair Oaks Ranch, TX Superintendent - SBS Construction
C OM PROM I SE
EL SEW HER E
GENT Stylists: Priscilla Gonzalez - Hair & Styling Chrissi Blumstead - Straight Razor Shave
Call today for your reservation 830.443.4500
BOERNE, TEXAS • 930 E. BLANCO
BOOK ONLINE: WWW.COMPLETEGENT.COM
JULY
From the Publisher
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Explore what's inside this issue!
22 History
10 Calendar
26 Gardening
14 Troubadour
30 Wine
18 Music
34 Spiritual 38 My Town 42 Old Timer
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 2014 Schooley Media Ventures, 930 E. Blanco, Ste. 200, Boerne, TX 78006
Contributing Writers
Marjorie Hagy (History) 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.
Kendall D. Aaron (Spiritual)
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.
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Rene Villanueva (Music)
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.
Old Timer (Ramblings)
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.
Keith Amelung (Gardening)
As a former nursery owner and manager Keith specialized in herbs, natives, roses and aquatic plants. There he discovered heirloom veggies, as a way to offer something unique to his customers. For more than two years, Keith worked for Fertile Garden Supply. During the last year with this company Keith appeared as the in-house “garden-guru” for NBC’s local ‘San Antonio Living’ show. It was Keith’s great pleasure to substitute/ guest-host for Bob Webster on the KTSA Garden Show for nearly ten years. Currently, Keith offers his services under the banner of Have Spade, Will Travel Landscape & Consulting. He enjoys speaking to garden clubs throughout the area on a wide variety of subjects such as organic/chemical-free gardening, deerresistant and native plants, water gardening and of course heirloom vegetables.
Publisher Benjamin D. Schooley ben@hillcountryexplore.com Creative Director Benjamin N. Weber ben.weber@smvtexas.com ADVERTISING SALES 210-507-5250 sales@hillcountryexplore.com
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July 2014
17. JR Mooney Galleries 305 S. Main St., #400, Boerne, TX 78006 830-816-5106 www.jrmooneygalleries.com 18. Mama’s 30775 IH 10 WEST, Boerne, TX 78006 830-981-9011 www.mamasboerne.com 19. Mellard Dentistry 24200 Interstate Highway 10 #112, San Antonio, TX 78257 210-687-1133 www.leonspringsdentist.com 20. KCN Builders 920 East Blanco Rd., Boerne, TX 78006 830-816-5202 www.kcnbuilders.com 21. Lillian’s of Boerne 107 E San Antonio Ave, Boerne, TX 78006 830-446-2182 www.lilliansshoppe.com
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23. Performance Speed Shop 115 Pleasant Valley, Boerne, TX 78006 830-623-0530 www.pcass-tx.com 24. Phyllis Browning 24200 IH10W, San Antonio, TX 78257 210-698-4700 www.phyllisbrowning.com
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16. Hill Country Paddle Sports Boerne City Lake 210-842-4057 www.hillcountrypaddlesports.com
To Leon Springs, Fair Oaks Ranch & San Antonio 6, 9, 10, 19, 24
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From the Publisher Dearest EXPLORE reader, Lately I’ve been wanting to learn how to paint. I’d like be able to paint art, a skill that I most certainly do not possess today. I don’t know where this desire came from, but sure enough, I’ve been looking at pieces of art that I see now with a much more interested eye. I catch myself eating lunch and studying the piece of art that is hanging on the wall above our table and dissecting it visually. I try to study the lines that the artist used to create the image, the brush strokes and how they are utilized, and the overall emotion that the piece of art brings forth. Some of it I like, and some of it I don’t really care for, but overall, I’m jealous that somebody somewhere sat down in front of an easel and created something that I spent the time to analyze later. Again, I’m a bit perplexed as to where this desire to paint has originated. Typically, I dwell in large, sloppy brush strokes in my life, and ignore “details” the way I ignore the whining from kids. Details simply cannot be engaged, as they distract me from the overall mission of what I’m trying to accomplish. I’ve got a hundred funny stories of projects I’ve started without any knowledge, any planning, and very little research, but tore into them ferociously. I used the wrong tools, the wrong techniques, and the wrong sequence, but by golly, I built what I said I would build. Yes, it was ugly, poorly constructed, and probably fell apart a few years later, but – IT GOT BUILT. It’s a frustrating existence sometimes, but as they say, “Oh well.” Because of this, I’ve done more head scratching about this silly desire of mine to pursue painting. It goes against every fiber of my inner being and every trait that I seem to possess. I can look at a beautiful seascape painting, with delicate gulls flying above an old shrimper boat, and I smile broadly. I love the way the artist has the sun reflecting off the water, and the sea foam that is breaking on the waves. I think to myself “I can do that” but then I look closer and see the delicate, fine lines that the artist had to use to create those beautiful waves. I can see the hundreds of intricate brushstrokes, and while I should roll my eyes and say “Hand me a 4” painter’s brush – I’ll show you a wave!” instead, I think again, “I could do that.” But I don’t know if I can. I don’t know if my eye has the ability to process a scene, whether it’s in real life or my mind, and be able to put together the sequence of how to re-create that image. I’d paint the water first, when I should have painted the sky. I’d paint a boat before I worked on the waves. I’d work on tree limbs before I painted the trunk. Then I would get frustrated, consider my pursuit of art a failure, and throw it in the trash (after spending hundreds of dollars on all the equipment necessary to produce my fine art). And then what? I’d probably still look at the art that’s hanging at my lunch hang-out and tilt my head slightly, and admire it the same. “Take an art class” you might say. Should I mention that I barely graduated high school and flunked out of college twice? I loathe classrooms. I’ve learned that there’s exactly one way for me to learn – that, too, is the wrong way: I must do it myself and fail. Only then will I know the correct process. Back to art: I’m jealous of you artists out there. I want your talent, but it escapes me. I want the inspiration that you find in the mundane, and the beauty that you see in the simple. I want the expression you present, and the power with which you can do it. I think that the ability to express one’s self is core to our existence. I think that it’s a requirement to fully experience this thing called life. Sometimes I wonder how some people can breathe without the outlet of expression. Hell, I write for a living (if you want to call this “writing”), and it’s not enough for me. I play guitar, sing, and as you’re finding out, I want to know how to paint. So how does the local CPA ever truly function while saying that he doesn’t sing, play guitar, write, paint, or utilize any other outlet to do something that makes his soul smile? I don’t get it. To each their own, but it’s a head scratcher for me. But maybe it’s not. My pursuit is one of creation. I want to build it, sing it, write it, and paint it. I want to be the one that’s responsible for the medium of my expression. Maybe I think that people won’t understand me unless I “explain” it to them via some form of expression. Maybe that’s wrong…I don’t know. But maybe the expression I might seek isn’t in the creation, but in the appreciation. I can do a little soul searching here and say that perhaps so many of my struggles are due to the fact that I think I can do it all, even when I full well know I cannot. Perhaps, just perhaps, I’m not meant to be an artist (despite my desires), and perhaps the things that I can appreciate is all the expression I’ll ever need.
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I can appreciate your painting, and your expression in that art impacted me in a positive way. The local CPA may not have your typical outlets of “expression”, but unbeknownst to me, he could pour a crazy amount of energy into his children. Is that expression? Is that art? I’d imagine so. So what are we looking for with “expression”? If you sit down at a blank canvas on an easel, your trusty brushes in hand, and yet you have no talent or skill as it comes to art, exactly what are you doing? What is your mission? Sometimes I think that the mission is little more than to relate to you, the one looking at the art. Sometimes I think that we all are so busy looking for an outlet, a medium with which to somehow get our true voice across, in an attempt to get someone to say “Man, I GET you.” You will have expressed yourself, and someone will have said “Good job.” Ta-da. Mission accomplished. I know that there are many of you who will say “Nope – I paint/sing/ create/write for ME and for no one else.” I believe you. I really do. However, if you are creating so much beauty, and so much expression, yet nobody ever stops to appreciate it, then what have you expressed? If you are talking, nobody is listening. Art and the expressions we create may not always need to be of our own creation. I’m learning this the hard way. I’m learning that every single one of you creates something beautiful every day, and that it’s not always in the typical mediums I might expect. You are all crucial elements of LIFE, and via your own expressions, we all create the most beautiful art that can exist. The art of LIFE. The most extreme, highest form of expression. Welcome to July. May you enjoy the summer of 2014 and find the beauty that is interwoven into this season of our lives. May you stop to appreciate, may you hear the expressions of others, and may you appreciate it for the art that it is. Smiling,
ben@hillcountryexplore.com
EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
JULY
Get out and enjoy the great Texas Hill Country! The most comprehensive events calendar. Send submissions to info@hillcountryexplore.com
July 1 BANDERA Cowboy Capital Opry
Grand Old Opry-style show features Harriet and Gerry Payne and various artists. Begins at 7 p.m. Silver Sage Corral, 803 Buck Creek Drive. www. silversagecorral.org 830/796-4969
July 1, 15, 29 BOERNE Abendkonzerte
The Boerne Village Band performs in Main Plaza Park, 100 N. Main St. www.boernevillageband.org
July 4, 11, 18, 25-26 UVALDE Sahawe Indian Dancers Summer Ceremonials
Youths perform authentic Native American dances from many different tribes with elaborate homemade costumes, music, history and folklore on display. Begins at 8 p.m. Sahawe Outdoor Theater. www.visituvalde.com
July 4-19 INGRAM Young Frankenstein
July 1-6 FREDERICKSBURG Les Miserables
The Point Theatre, 120 Point Theatre Road. www. hcaf.com 830/367-5121
July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 GRUENE Swing Dance Lessons and Two Tons of Steel in Concert
Hours are 9 a.m.–5 p.m. At the courthouse, 700 Main St. www.hillcountryautomobileclub.com
Presented by Fredericksburg Theater Company. Steve W. Shepherd Theater, 1668 U.S. 87 S. www. fredericksburgtheater.org
Learn simple, fun East Coast Swing steps in this one-hour class held before the Two Ton Tuesday concert. Class starts at 6 p.m.; band starts at 8:30 p.m. Gruene Hall.
July 4 BOERNE July 4 Fireworks Show
City Park, 106 City Park Road. www.visitboerne.org 830/249-7277
July 4 DRIPPING SPRINGS Fire in the Sky in Dripping Springs Includes a fireworks display, music, food and children’s activities. Gates open at 5 p.m. DS Sports and Recreation Park, 1042 R.M. 12
July 4 FREDERICKSBURG Fourth of July Celebrations
Features parades and a patriotic program at the Marktplatz. During the day, there’s a chili cook-off at Becker Vineyards in Stonewall, a kite festival at Pedernales Cellars in Stonewall and live music in Luckenbach. Later, enjoy a concert and fireworks at Lady Bird Johnson Park. www.visitfredericksburgtx. com
July 4 STONEWALL All-American Chili Cook-Off
About 70 cooks compete in this CASI-sanctioned chili cook-off. Taste samples, vote for best chili of the day, and enjoy wine tastings and live music in the vineyards. Becker Vineyard, 464 Becker Farms Road. www.beckervineyards.com
July 4-5, 19-20 FREDERICKSBURG Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing
Features quarter horse and thoroughbred races, special races and trials for the 2014 Fair Futurity. Gillespie County Fairgrounds, 530 Fair Drive. www. gillespiefair.com
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July 5 KERRVILLE Hill Country Auto Club Open Car Show July 5, 12, 19, 26 BANDERA Flying L Ranch Chuck Wagon Dinner Enjoy barbecue, wagon rides, roping lessons, hat and pistol branding, archery, old-fashioned photos, a cowboy stage show, gunslingers, line dancing and entertainment. A chuck-wagon dinner is served from 5:30–7:30 p.m. Flying L Ranch, 566 Flying L Drive. www.flyingl.com
July 11 CASTROVILLE Friday Night Fever
July 12-13 BOERNE Market Days
Artists, crafters and vendors share their creative talents and wares to the sounds of homegrown Texas musicians. Main Plaza, 100 N. Main. www. boernemarketdays.com 210/844-8193
July 12-13 DRIPPING SPRINGS THCBRA $1,000 Barrel Race
Dripping Springs Ranch Park Event Center, 1042 DS Ranch Road 12. E-mail: THCBRA@aol.com
July 13 JOHNSON CITY Art, Wine and Live Music
Hours are 1:30–4 p.m. Taste Wine + Art, 213 N. Nugent Ave. www.tastewineart.com
July 18-August 2 KERRVILLE Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Playhouse 2000, 305 Washington St. www.caillouxtheater.com
July 18-19 MARBLE FALLS Marble Falls Rodeo
Includes rodeo events, a downtown parade and dance. Charles Taylor Arena. www.marblefalls.org
July 19 FREDERICKSBURG Night in Old Fredericksburg
See a variety of antique and modern cars and trucks on display, and enjoy music, food and shopping. Wommack Chevrolet, 1955 U.S. 90 E. www. castroville.com
Celebrate the food, music and culture that make Fredericksburg special at this 51st-annual event. Includes live music and dancing; local food, beer and wine; a carnival; and activities. Gillespie County Fairgrounds. www.gillespiefair.com/niof
July 11, 18, 25; Aug 1 INGRAM Art Camp Exhibit
July 25 UVALDE Stargazing Party
Young Artists, Ages 4-Teen, Exhibit their Artwork Created Each Week in Art Camp 10 A.M. – 4 P.M www.hcaf.com
July 12 BOERNE Moondance Concert Series
Enjoy live music under the stars and oak trees. Cibolo Nature Center, 140 City Park Road. www. cibolo.org
July 12 BOERNE Second Saturday Art and Wine
Enjoy a glass of wine and stroll through the art galleries. Hours are 4–8 p.m. Various venues. www. secondsaturdayartandwine.com
July 12 MARBLE FALLS Founders Day
This community celebrates its 1887 founding with music, exhibits, food, stories and demonstrations of skills from the past. Lakeside Pavilion, 307 Buena Vista. www.fallsmuseum.org
View the season’s stars, constellations, planets and deep-sky objects during a waning crescent moon. Bring a lawn chair, insect repellent and small flashlight. Begins at 8:45 p.m., weather permitting. Fort Inge Historic Site.
July 25-28 JUNCTION Disc Golf PDGA Tournament
In the park along the Llano River, near 402 Main St. E-mail: flyinkdw@gmail.com
July 26 BANDERA National Day of the American Cowboy Celebration
Enjoy Western games, music, vendors and crafts at the Frontier Times Museum. Also includes horse racing in the afternoon and a ranch rodeo in the evening at Mansfield Park. www.ndac.weebly.com 830/796-3864
July 26 JOHNSON CITY Art Walk on Nugent Avenue
Hours are 4–8 p.m. www.johnsoncity-texas.com
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EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
We all know the old saying “close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.” DON’T LET IT APPLY TO YOUR MARKETING. logos, websites, branding and every issue of EXPLORE you’ve ever read 210.507.5250 • 930 E. Blanco • Boerne, TX 78006
By Rene Villanueva
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EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
I’ve spent a good amount of time (year and a half maybe?) at home songwriting/recording our next project. And if that sounds like a long time... it is... especially for us. This is actually the longest time we’ve had to work on writing music since we started the band. After the release of our first record, we’ve been running non-stop touring, writing, recording, touring, and so on. We wrote the next two albums each with about three months prep, and under one week to record everything. ONE WEEK EACH. Usually tracking two songs a day for four days, and only two more days to do all the vocals. Usually we left the studio straight to the stage to perform the songs before they were even mixed. That is incredibly fast. It’s 1964 fast. When you have a great producer and engineer, like we did, and a tight band, great things happen with a little time. Most of our songs were recorded in one, maybe two tries. A very exciting and creatively volatile atmosphere. There’s a lot to be said for this sort of pressure cooker creativity: plenty of spontaneous bursts of ideas but overall it’s not a lot of time to dig in and create. While we were in the studio for a song that eventually became Don’t Turn Out The Lights, our producer Dan Auerbach was unhappy with the working chorus. We played the demo. He made some notes on the groove. Did a practice run then went back to Dan to get his thoughts. He leaned back in his chair, and with a sigh and a look of tiredness worn like a comfortable shirt, Dan announced he was going to take a coffee break, ‘I want a great chorus by the time I get back.’ To say he is a man of few words is an understatement, but he always means a lot. Dan has always pushed our band. I don’t know how he works with other artists, but for us he always asks for more than I thought we could go. Can you do it all live? With Vocals? Can you sing it better? Write it better? Play it better? And I’m grateful. His drive has taught me a lot about myself and what I’m capable of, so when he asked me to write a better chorus and walked out of the studio without a single word of direction, I knew he was testing me, and I knew I could succeed. I sat down on the floor of the live room in his studio. Armed with an 60’s flat-top Gibson and a legal pad I start running through the chords. Repeating them. Listening to the notes. Playing variations on tempos and octaves, listening for a melody hidden inside. Feeling the clock and trying not to worry, I focused on the music. Strumming. The vibrations. Visualizing the notes, the waves bouncing against themselves in the air. Strumming. The subtleties, the patterns. Then the melody came in focus like a distant image on the horizon. Closer and clearer. Walking to me. In no hurry. Just traveling at its own pace. I leaned in closer to hear. Pressed my jaw into the shoulder of the wood and felt the chords ringing through my head. I shut my eyes. Closer the details formed. The shape, the feel, the words... It was about ten minutes when Dan came back with a half emptied mug and sat back in his chair. He was perked up and I had everything done. I gave him the legal pad to read along as I sat on the couch playing the newly written chorus to everyone. Halfway through my performance, Dan put done his mug, whispered to the engineer and when I was done, he clapped loudly, “Yeah Son, that’s right!” which for Dan means: we were ready to get back to work. That chorus was born out of a time crunch. I needed a chorus at that moment. And with focus, it manifested, it came to me. So I hope I don’t sound like I’m complaining when I talk about now and the amount of time we are taking. I want to try working a record with a different feel and pace. I want to know what we could do with a little more. A little more time to write. More time to practice. More time to do takes, and mix, and sing. And it all adds up to a lot more time in the long run but that was the plan. We could’ve easily retread the same musical territory we’ve run before. Could’ve put out another album like Shakedown, our last, but that’s not what we’re about. I’ve learned a lot about writing and playing since I wrote those songs, but I’ve also changed a lot personally and emotionally. All of that experience gets filtered into newer and newer songs. It’s been almost too much to keep up with, leaving me with used notebooks, forgotten computer files and recordings, filled with songs, ideas, and fragments at every level of completion. Anyways I’ve been enjoying my own bed. My own city. My own life. And on my own time. These precious things pass by quickly the true riches of life are fleeting. So I have no guilt about seizing the chance to wake up to the sounds of my neighbors riding their lawnmowers, my son babbling, or my wife heading to work; not highway truck stop engine revving, hotel cleaners, lobby check-out calls, or a tour manager nervous about the next gig. I’ve fed my imagination walking Boerne streets, looking at the changes in my city. Business come and go while I’m gone. I recently came back to find one of my favorite restaurants gone forever... oh well... being home for the longer days of summer staying up watching movies, reading books, and playing a violin concert in the afternoon to myself. I love becoming a better person and musician, not just a more popular band. I love writing and writing and throwing it all away and starting again. I love working a song into the ground and trying it one more time with just a shade difference. And those things can’t be done while touring. So day after day I drive a short road between my house and our studio, lock up with my brothers, and think of words/melodies, approach/delivery, style/substance, all in an attempt to move our band forward. As I’m writing this to you, I’m a few feet from our speakers, listening to songs come together in the final stages (We’ve been mixing all day which means generally balancing the track. This is close to composition/color/balance in photography) and I’ve got this feeling... somewhere between anticipation, nerves and ecstatic craziness. Anticipation because we’ve been bouncing these ideas in my head for a so long and this’ll be the first time I get to hear a result in full. The culmination of our hard work. A birth. Finding out if the songs were as good as they were conceived to be. That brings me to Nervousness: working so long on an idea puts the creator so close to it, they are never able to see the faults. But ahh, creation is never easy, proving the virtue of patience. It comes with a lot of hurt. I’m not too worried though, I’ve got much more of the Ecstatic Craziness burning in me and I’m really digging what I hear: the best test for a song. This last feeling comes directly from my state of trying to do something I haven’t done before. Challenging myself to go further, the way Dan always has; Challenging myself to dig deeper into myself, be more vulnerable than I’ve ever let myself; but mostly because I feel like we are pulling it off. These songs will be of home. Of love. Of this moment. Of loss and change and growth. My reality. The life that grows outside my window. I’m happy to be out of the past, and more than willing to take as much time as I need to get there.
A son of South-Texas, and two of the most beautiful souls I’ll ever know. Writer, dreamer, singer of songs, bass player, and professional observer. Toured the world with my band of “real-blood-tied” brothers, and friends as Hacienda/Fast-five. Recorded three albums, written countless songs, played countless shows, including two national tv late-night extravaganzas, festivals, throwdowns, parties, and hoot-nights. Lover of books, vinyl, dancing, people who laugh loud, walking, vintage craftsmanship, and my home in Boerne.
July 2014
www.hillcountryexplore.com
15
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MUSIC
By Shannon Gonzenbach
There is a certain idealistic glamor that surrounds rock
writing music as Wild Party until after they had finished
least I was pretty nervous. It was an awesome trip, but
stars and fame; thousands of people knowing your name
high school in 2008. “Lucas and I started in, maybe,
definitely a variety of emotions going on. I didn’t move
and shouting in adoration when you walk on a stage.
September 2008. At that time I was in Oklahoma going
away from the mic stand that entire trip. I do a little
There is probably more truth than we like to admit in the
to school and we were just emailing each other. When
more dancing now. I can cover the whole stage easy
stereotypes of teenage girls’ walls being covered in good
we first finished that song, ‘New Light,’ that’s when I
now,” jokes Lincoln.
looking musicians and guys in skinny jeans, jamming out
kind of decided I’m going to drop out of school and
Wild Party had almost no experience performing live
on air guitars. As we all got older, the aura of glamor may
pursue it,” Lincoln said. Lucas added, “We’d never
when they went on tour in the United Kingdom. For Lu-
still surround the top musicians; however, we realized that
written a full song before; we just kind of did joke-y
cas, the entire experience was “Surreal. The way we did
being a musician, especially one trying to break into the
stuff, out of boredom.”
it, we wrote our music first, then we recorded it, then we
business, isn’t all about the fame and screaming crowds.
The band, Wild Party, didn’t officially begin playing
got our band together. So we hadn’t really even played at
There is work involved, and often times a lot of travel and
together until 2010 and almost immediately was given
all, so definitely an interesting experience being thrown
time away from the place you call home. The local band,
a major opportunity in the music industry of touring
into the fire like that. Helped us figure out where we
Wild Party, has put in a lot of the hard work and risk of
with the famous UK group, The Wombats. Touring with
stood and what we needed to work on.”
failure over the last few years, and just recently is begin-
an established group brought up a lot of emotions for
Despite an epic beginning to the band, the years
ning to realize the possibility of a future in music.
Wild Party. “Our third show ever was with them. It was
after The Wombats tour proved less ideal as Wild Party
Guitarist, Lucas Hughes and singer, Lincoln Kreifels,
a mixture of feelings for sure: excited, it was pretty
learned a couple of the downsides to business. Lincoln
grew up together in the Boerne area and didn’t start
cool, but we were also pretty nervous too, I think. At
talks about after the tour, “We were recording a ton.
18
EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
Playing shows every now and then, but we kind of had
this year, or something like that.” The other finalists in
jazzy, groovy, hip hop indie-pop.” Lucas joked about us-
weird things going on a little bit in the business world.
the contest are, “Straight up more radio friendly, and
ing his Nintendo gaming as inspiration for the new sound
Our manager wanting to release a record, but not really
we probably have more of the band feel,” described
and described it as, “Super Mario, Star World. That’s kind
following through with plans, we were waiting on him
Lincoln. The top five bands consist of pure pop groups,
of what I was thinking with the music.” On a more serious
for a while. He wasn’t really doing his job and we had to
whereas Wild Party has some Indie roots in their music;
tone, Lucas talked about his favorite songs the group has
fire him and then we had to wait six months because he
Lincoln joked about how “super cheesy” their pop
done, recalling the band’s beginnings. “My favorite, I’d
could sue if we did anything. Kind of made it over a year,
competitors are. Even though Wild Party wants to win
have to agree with Lincoln on ‘Chasing Honey’ but I think
year and a half, and as soon as that was over we released
the contest, Lincoln is just excited about the doors the
deep down my favorite is probably ‘New Light,’ which
the album and made a video on our own. That’s kind of
contest is opening for them, “Its awesome publicity
was the first one we mentioned we did. Only because, to
what sparked the resurgence I guess.” Lincoln talked
and we’re definitely pumped.”
me, I feel like that is the seed that planted everything. I
about their previous manager as a friend and the hard
In addition to being a finalist in Macy’s Rising Star
like thinking about where we were at when we wrote the
decision of letting him go to help their band get to the
contest, Wild Party has a new album ready to be released
first song and where it’s at now.”
next level, “He’s an awesome guy, that’s why it took us so
this fall, some touring, and radio stations picking up some
After an unimaginable start with a UK tour, Wild Party
long to kind of get rid of him because he was our friend,
of their songs. Lincoln listed their summer and fall events
went through the motions of figuring out business rela-
just wasn’t a very good manager.”
coming up, “We’re going to radio in July, we’re taking
tionships, as well as if music held a future for their group.
With the hiatus between their tour with The Wombats
our “When I get Older” to radio for the first time. That’s
Lincoln is more motivated than ever for their band to be
in 2010 and their signing with Old Friends Records in No-
really exciting. We’re touring with Andrew McMahon, it’s
a success, “[I’m] Missing my family like crazy when we’re
vember 2013, Wild Party is finally making lasting waves in
like seven shows, but they’re all sold out already which
gone, but I just feel kind of obligated to do the music
music and is on the rise. “Well I guess the most important
is pretty awesome. And Andrew McMahon, I don’t know
thing just because I feel very lucky to have my friend Lu-
thing is we’re finally going to be able to put out our de-
if you know who he is, but he was in a couple of bands
cas, who’s extremely talented, and my wife, and the abil-
but record. [Old Friends Records] bring a lot to the table
and now he’s just solo.” Andrew McMahon performed in
ity to write good songs. I’m going to pursue it no matter
too, they’re a great team of people that believe in the
bands such as Jack’s Mannequin and Something Corpo-
what for sure, even though it is definitely really difficult.
music and are completely supportive. A real professional
rate that have been around for many years.
I mean having a kid also kind of motivated me more
relationship for the first time, it’s a big deal,” Lincoln
The band has revamped its members and live sound in
too. Having someone else to provide for and knowing I
commented. He continued and discussed their decision
2014 when Wild Party’s bassist and Lincoln Kreifels’ older
wanted to do music, kind of inspired me to work harder.”
in going with Old Friends Records, “We had kind of some
brother, Jake, left the band and was replaced with drummer
Lucas joked that Wild Party would be successful when
other interest, but never really any good offers. We felt
Cary Lascala, which then moved Ethan from drums to bass.
they “have enough money to where everyone we want
that this one was very fair and we knew that they were
“My brother’s no longer in the band, but as a result, we
can come with us on tour. It would be a little cramped
going to work hard. A lot of times, with bigger labels you
have an awesome new drummer now. We now sound better
right now.”
have the possibility of just being ignored or shelved if
than ever live, which is great. Cary is a really cool guy and
With the upcoming releases and publicity the band
you’re not doing that well. We knew with a smaller label
a great new friend of ours; he joined the band in January.
is receiving this summer, Wild Party is a band Boerne
that they were going to put all their effort into us and that
Along with Jake moving to Abeline to start a church, he also
will be able to claim and cheer on for years to come.
was really important to us.”
just had his second child. So, you could say that he’s a little
“We’re some ordinary guys from the hill country that
The label has opened doors for Wild Party, especially
busy! Ethan had been temporarily filling in on the drums,
love music and are lucky enough to have each other to
with their publicity. Wild Party, in June, was named a top
but he’s a much better bass player. So, that’s attributed to
write pretty good songs and potentially make a career
five finalist in the Macy’s iHeart Radio Rising Star con-
our sound being so much tighter now with a new drum
out of it,” says Lincoln.
test. Not sure how they got selected by Macy’s, Lincoln
and bass section. Although, we did land a record deal with
gave a lot of credit to their label, “I think our label had
Ethan on drums! So, he couldn’t have been too bad!” Lin-
a lot to do with it. Macy’s just kind of came to our label
coln joked. With Cary settled in and their label behind them,
interested. Actually, our label had a band that won it last
Wild Party is finally ready to release their album.
year ‘The Summer Set,’ so that might be why. Because
The upcoming album has some unique sounds mixed
The Summer Set won it, Macy’s was looking at their roster
in it according to Lincoln, “You can expect some kind of
July 2014
www.hillcountryexplore.com
19
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HISTORY
By Marjorie Hagy The official story is that it was discovered in 1840
ity- and indeed, the names of Charlie Dienger, the
when a cow fell into a sinkhole, but the vast cave was,
Howard boys of Boerne and one Charlie Bull of
of course, well-known to untold generations of Native
Van Raub, were visible for nearly one hundred years
Americans before white people ever thought of a place
there until the action of the floodwaters of a century
called Texas. It was also known to prehistoric animals
finally rubbed them smoothe.
like the mastodon, the saber-toothed tiger and American
Elizabeth Gray Hudson’s father, Alfred Gray, bought
bison, or perhaps they just had the misfortune of stum-
the land (and Hester’s Cave) in 1929 and established
bling in by accident, like the poor cow, for the remains
his dairy business there, Graymead Dairy, which he
of all of these were found inside it’s depths. It’s a whole
ran for several years until the Great Depression forced
other world, a world of bottomless pools and tumbling
him to close. So there he found himself, Alfred Gray,
waterfalls, of salamanders and bats and hermits and a
his money fast running out and his business bankrupt
vast domed cathedral, and it’s all underneath the world
through no fault of his own, the economy in the can and
we know, in Cascade Cavern, the subterranean wonder.
a family to maintain- his wife, Edith Gilliat, Elizabeth and
Formed in the Earth’s lower Cretaceous period and
her twin sister Edith and their younger brother Gordon.
shaped by frequent torrents of floodwater through her
And he’s got this land, and this cave on the back of
rooms, changed and changing even in our short lifetimes,
the place...And a light bulb goes off over Alfred Gray’s
through flood and draught, through the steady seep of
head- maybe he hops up and yells ‘Eureka!’ By George,
groundwater creating its magnificent forms, Cascade
he’s got it! Right about the same time as Alfred was
Cavern is part of the Glen Rose Formation, a geological
engaging in some serious noodle-scratching over this
formation that begins in South Central Texas, runs north
hole he was in (no pun intended), there’d been these
through the Hill Country, and ends somewhere up in
two guys, brothers, Dan and Bernard Cartwright, going
north of here. It descends down one hundred and forty
around making a name for themselves exploring caves
feet underground- as far as is known- and also unknown is
all over Texas, and becoming quite the experts on their
how far the cave stretches back into the earth. It’s pre-
subject. They were also getting to know kind of a lot
sumed that large portions of the cavern remain unex-
about developing caves commercially, and everybody
plored, but have been tantalizingly glimpsed- the sound
and their brother with a cave on the old home place
of rushing water through cracks in the limestone walls, a
was hitting them up to come take a look and part with a
tiny hole through which can be seen other rooms, unvis-
little advice. Also at the same time, over in New Mexico
ited, inaccessible, just beyond human reach.
Carlsbad Cavern had just become a national park- and
The land on which the cave is located was originally
all of this information must’ve hit Alfred just right and
part of a Spanish Land Grant deeded to one Juan Ramon
BAM! The light bulb flashed on. In a trice, Dairy Farmer
Arocha. After the Declaration of Texas Independence
Gray got ahold of Bernard Cartwright, and next thing
in 1837, every household received a piece of land and
anybody knew, the two of them were standing outside
Patent #64 with Cascade Cavern on it went to Arocha. It
the cave entrance with their gear, ready for the trip of a
was unallocated- meaning unlocated and still part of the
lifetime- past the stalactite and into the unknown world
wilderness out of which Boerne would eventually grow.
beyond where, for all they knew, no human had ever
Land speculators William Steele and Ludovic Colquhoun
been before.
bought the land, unseen, and soon sold it, also unseen.
They prepared their kit well, Bernard, of course, hav-
The land was swapped around and changed hands over
ing a pretty good idea what one might expect down
and over again, but most likely none of the owners ever
below the surface: ropes, waders, and a camera, flash-
saw it. The first people who came to actually live there
lights sealed in gallon molasses buckets to keep them
were a Dr Benjamin Hester and his wife, from Memphis.
dry and a quantity of candles and matches to test the
But as they were the first local owners of the place, the
quality of the air that far below the surface. ‘Alert cav-
cave took on their name, and Hester’s Cave it was for
ers,’ wrote Elizabeth fifty years later, ‘are always aware
years and years.
of the danger of “black damp” or carbon monoxide
According to Elizabeth Gray Hudson, who grew up
poisoning.’ She was only four years old that day in
on the place, ‘...[T]here was always the great black hole
1931, and her first awareness of the cave in her back-
tucked away on the back of the property. A place for
yard was the anxiety she felt as she watched her father
a Sunday afternoon’s outing. A cave for the curious to
and his new friend make their preparations.
explore.’ And the curious did, of course, explore it; boys
Up into the 1880s the cave was accessible only by a
and young men did what boys and young men have
hole on it’s top, through which the owner before the
always done, and dared each other to go in, taking their
Grays, LW Menn, was rumored to have deposited wanna-
girls out there, maybe, to wait outside the cave, thrillingly
be spelunkers by way of a bucket on a rope, which was
nervous, while the guys proved their derring-do. There
lowered and lifted in and out of the hole by a winch
was only so much a fella could do for fun in Boerne in the
on his truck. But by the time Gray and Cartwright pre-
day: you could take a train ride to the next town & back,
pared to go in the side of a cliff had been washed out
you could go for a picnic into the country or to the ‘town
by floodwaters and a sort of ramp of boulders had been
lake’ (which was the spillway below the dam on River
formed, over which the two men now proceeded to
Road), you could ‘promenade’ with your girl up and down
crawl into the great beyond. ‘For several hours on that
Main Street- or you could go out to Hester’s Cave. There
hot fall afternoon in 1931,’ Elizabeth later wrote, ‘Mary
was a giant stalactite hanging just inside the entrance to
Cartwright and my mother, Edith Gray, waited anxiously
the cavern, blocking the main passageway, and on it, and
for the men’s return. It was late in the day before they
on the limestone walls surrounding, the boys and many
emerged with their exciting news.’ And exciting news it
others would carve their names and initials for poster-
certainly was. They reported passages and chambers and
an underground oak thicket, a subterranean lake into which a curtain of
cave was almost inaccessible until nearly 1900, and it’s more likely that
stalactites dipped- they’d seen a great room like a vast cathedral with
these relics were washed into the cave during one of the many floods.
domes in the ceiling, all reflected in the dark surface of a silent lake
And provoking wild imaginations for years, the rusted-out remains of
with seven little waterfalls forming a gentle cascade, before their flick-
a late-19th century revolver were also discovered in the cave. All of
ering candles and the strange sensations in their heads warned them
these priceless relics are gone, though. The park closed during WWII,
of the bad air and the need to turn back. Before they left the cave for
and during that time the museum there was looted and all the artifacts
the light of day, however, the two men had made plans to open the
stolen. It was reopened in the fifties.
cave to the public. Bernard wrote up an article with an exciting de-
What remains, though, are the several species of endemic animals
scription of the cave, accompanied by the pictures he’d taken, and it
living in the cavern- two varieties of frog, the cliff frog and the leop-
ran in one of the San Antonio newspapers on November 22, 1931.
ard frog, Cave Ground Beetles, Cave Harvestmen, Cave Crickets and
And just like that, the problem of finding the money to develop the
Eastern Pipistrelle Bats all coexist in their underground world, and of
cave was solved. Gray was still a farmer, remember, with a dairy the
course the Cascade Caverns Neotenic Salamander. Also called the
Depression had killed, and the same old question of money was on his
Kendall County Salamander, this little guy has only ever been found in
mind- how to turn the cavern into a paying venture by which to sup-
Cascade Caverns and the Cave Without a Name.
port his family. And the answer turned out to be a guy named Frank
And oh yeah, there was one other denizen of the cavern, back one
Nicholson. Nicholson was at a loose end, having recently parted ways
hundred and fifty years ago or so, name of Bayard the Hermit. This was
with Carlsbad Cavern, when he happened to read Cartwright’s article
a man who reputedly lived in the cave and didn’t have anything to do
on Hester’s Cave, and he hot-footed his way to Boerne where within
with anybody else, unless it was to doctor them with his home-brewed
two months he’d partnered up with Alfred Gray to develop the cave.
herbal concoctions, and even then it was said that he ‘preferred to
He even found an investor to provide the dough, a Canadian named
use a child as interpreter’. The notice of his death in the New York
EA Drake. And in a matter of months, in April 1932 the place was
Times(!) said that he could have been the brother of Grover Cleve-
ready for business, renamed Cascade Cavern by Mrs Gray and chris-
land’s Secretary of State and that he might have been a bigshot in the
tened with a bottle of subterranean water by Attorney General James
Mexican War, but apparently people in Boerne only knew him as the
Allred, later governor of Texas. There was a big barbeque and wash-
Hermit Bayard, a shy old eccentric who lived in the cave. A German-
tubs full of potato salad, there were local dignitaries and the South
American in Cincinnati who had once lived in Sisterdale wrote a story
Texas Press Association, and all the speechifying and celebrating and
about him, Ein Verstehltes Leben, which won a prize in a contest in the
foofaraw one would expect. It was a happy day, and fortune smiled on
German-language newspaper Volksblatt in 1876, and which was re-
the Grays and the Drakes- Cascade Cavern would become one of the
discovered and translated into English by May Francis in 1932 as The
most popular tourist stops in the area. During it’s heyday- and it was a
Hermit of the Cavern- the popularity of which was the reason the New
long heyday, from the time it opened up into the 70s- a campground,
York Times wrote anything about him at all. In the story, Bayard fought
dance hall, small amusement park and swimming pool were all added,
a duel in his native Germany and thought he’d killed his adversary
and the place was de rigueur for birthday parties for us 70s middle
and so fled to Texas with his guilt to become a hermit. Maybe so, and
school set.
maybe all that was a bit of romancing. What I think is, the guy didn’t
All kinds of things have been discovered in the cave, both natural
need such a grand excuse to hole himself up in Hester’s Cave- after all,
and man-made. Mastodon remains were found by the entrance to
the temperature in there tops out around 68 degrees and he had that
the cavern, way back during the original exploration- a six-foot tusk,
whole, beautiful, magical place to himself, the geological formations
which still had hair and flesh clinging to it when found, the hair and
of millennia, the sound of water rushing by in unseen passages, the
flesh disintegrating upon exposure to the air while workmen watched.
cathedral with the sheet of dark water fed by seven babbling cascades.
A mastodon shinbone was also discovered inside the cave, as well
Maybe he was lucky enough to have discovered his paradise, and just
as saber-tooth tiger and bison bones. Remains of Native Americans
felt like staying.
and their handiwork have been found in Cascade Cavern, including Lipan Apache artifacts from the 18th century, leading to speculation that these native tribes used the cave for shelter- but remember, the
thefam2001@yahoo.com
24
EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
I just went to see Dr. Hawkins yesterday for an exam and cleaning. I was promptly seen, the procedures were done painlessly and in a timely manner with the latest equipment. My necessary dental work was explained fully to me. Everyone in the office greeted me warmly and made me feel special. - Elaine
As a Master in the Academy of General Dentistry, Dr. Chet Hawkins posses the highest level of education recognized for a dentist. As a graduate of the Pankey Institute, he’s had the finest post-doctoral training in the world. “I want to establish a master plan and then develop a blueprint for my patients’ long-term care,” he explains. “We want to solve the causes of the problems before we do anything else to their teeth. Then we can rebuild or repair with confidence that the fix will last as long as possible. We also educate our patients about other health issues related to oral disease. There is a connection between periodontal disease and heart disease that people need to know about.” Dr. Hawkins and his wife, Deby, have been residents of Boerne for 7 years and are excited to be joining the practice in Boerne.
We have been going to the Hawkins Dental Office for 25 years. This office is far superior to the average dental office. Their exceptional practice is due to their sincere desire to provide the very best service to their patients. They maintain the latest technology and genuinely care about the welfare of the people who they serve. I cannot find the words to express the high regard that my family and I hold for this dental practice. - Gene T. Pleasant, friendly staff. No wait. Dr. Hawkins listens to your issues and then provides clear solutions. Great dentist. Also, great hygienist. Overall, great experience. - Cindy
30 YEARS EXPERIENCE • Boerne’s ONLY Master Dentist
The Dental Wellness Center • 806 N. Main St. • Boerne • 830-249-7870 • www.drchethawkins.com
Adult Education
Estate Planning in the Hill Country: What Every Landowner Needs to Know Wednesday August 6, 2014 6:00pm - 8:00 pm
Location: CNC Auditorium, 140 City Park Road, Boerne TX 78006 Thomas Hall, Estate Planning Attorney, will present the best practices to protect and preserve the legacy of your land. Continuing Education credit available to Certified Financial Planners. COST: $15 for CNC members and/or Cibolo Conservancy members; $20 CO for non-members.
Calendar of Events
Events
Moondance Concert: The Court Jesters
Saturday, July 12, 2014 7:00 pm - 10:30 pm
Location: CNC Stage, 140 City Park Road, Boerne TX 78006 Calling themselves San Antonio's Band of Laywers, The Court Jesters are lawyers who play horn-driven rick and rhythm & blues classics. Gates open at 7 PM. Music starts at 7:30 PM till ?? Come enjoy our Moondance concert under the oaks and evening stars at Cibolo Nature Center. Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, kids, grandparents, and friendly dogs on leashes for an evening full of live music, dancing and fun at the CNC. Extremely casual! Don't forget your dancin' shoes, too! The Hippie Momma’s Food Truck will be with us for the evening. Mom COST: CNC & Farm Members: $7.50; Non-members: $10; Senior Citizens Age 65 and Up: $5; Kids Under 12: Free!
Kids
Mother Nature's Storytime: Bird Bonanza!
Tuesday, July 15, 2014 10am - 11am
Location:CNC Visitor Center, 140 City Park Road, Boerne TX 78006 Bird Bonanza! Red ones, blue ones, green Bi ones, and gray ones! Birds make nests, have feathers, and fly all around. Join us at the Nature Center to learn more about and see some of our feathered friends! Suggested Donation of $5
WE’re open!
Kid's Club at the Farm: Bubbles!
Jr. Gardener’s Club: WATER!
Location:: Herff Farm, 33 Herff Road, Boerne TX 78006 Join us for this classic Kid's Club activity and become bubble mania mix masters We will be getting sudsy while making the biggest bubbles we can! For kids of all ages. No drop-offs, please. COST: $5.00 per family. CO
Location: Herff Farm, 33 Herff Road, Boerne TX 78006 Join us as we investigate the importance of water to our gardens. We'll also beat the summer heat and get a little wet ourselves. Look for the Junior Gardener's Club sign! COST: FREE
July 12, 2014 10am -11:30am
July 2014
At the Herff Farm
ction, but der construSaturdays! n u e b ay m PEN on Herff Road rm is wide O the Herff Fa
Julu 26, 2014 10am - 11am
Every Saturday from 8:30am to 12:30pm 33 Herff Road, Boerne TX 78006
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25
GARDENING
To Turf, or Not to Turf... PA RT
The dog days of summer are now upon us. Temperatures can easily reach the 100’s...
ON E
‘up charge’ seems too extreme, you might have way too much turf! Con-
and stay there! These are trying times for we peoples as we spend more time indoors –
sider less lawn of a higher quality, you can always add more later on.
bless the inventor of air conditioning – and generally avoid outdoor activities at all cost.
Zoyzia grass doesn’t hold up to heavy repeated traffic (dog runs)
Not only does the increase in temperatures affect us peoples, but of course it stresses
but for most applications it works great. There are several
our pets and our landscape as well.
varieties available, just avoid the one called ‘Jammer’ as it is
Kendall County is the fastest growing county in Texas, fifth in the nation is what I heard, and this growth isn’t going to slow any time soon. They just seem to keep mak-
prone to fungal issues. Occasionally someone still asks about Buffalo Grass as
ing more people out there, and as they grow up and figure things out these fine folks
a tuff. Unfortunately, the constant upkeep of this ‘low-im-
realize what a good thing we have here and want to be a part of the Hill Country. I
pact’ grass has defeated its wide spread use. The first to
welcome all of these new immigrants, but with them comes the increased demand on
go dormant in winter, last to green up in spring – Buffalo
an already stressed water system. All of these new homes popping up will have lawns...
is often plagued with broad-leafed weed infestations. It
and we know that lawn irrigation is the single greatest use of water in our landscaping,
has generally fallen out of favor in most urban situations.
unless you rinse out your pool every month... Now I’m not suggesting that we should
Bermuda grass; Ok, I will admit a bias here as I hate Ber-
be like Phoenix and have gravel lawns, but an overall reduction of the use of lawn grass would be prudent. Front yard and back alike; consider the rule of 33%
muda grass.
“
hard-scape, 33% shrub and flower beds and 33% turf... And I personally try to St. Augustine
Bermuda
By the time we see that climate change is really bad, your ability to fix it is extremely limited... The carbon gets up there, but the heating effect is delayed. And then the effect of that heat on the species and ecosystem is delayed. That means that even when you turn virtuous, things are actually going to get worse for quite a while.” - Bill Gates
Folks who know me know I’m not a huge fan of lawns anyway; unless you have kiddos and there isn’t a park or otherwise vacant lot near by where they can play and roughhouse. I feel like the curmudgeonly old man “keep their trampling feet out of my vegetables and flowers”. Bermuda is the only turf that
reduce that
withstands traffic, why it is used
percentage
on ball fields everywhere... True
of turf and
that Bermuda takes (needs) full
increase the shrub and flower areas as much as possible. Shrub and flower beds take an average of 20-30% less water than the same area of lawn, and a lot less maintenance – a lot less!!! Let’s take a short look the most popular types of lawn grasses. St Augustine; much lamented as a water hog – but incorrectly. St. Augustine is
sun, false that it requires less water. What makes Bermuda so tuff is its 10-12+”deep root system. It can go completely dormant during our long hot summers and survive, remerging with the fall rains. But no one will let that happen – especially your HOA! If you are watering properly during the summer to keep your lawn green, why not have a friendlier species like St. Augustine or Zoyzia? I consider Bermuda high maintenance; it
the only turf grass that will tolerate shade – but not heavy foot traffic, two-legged or
needs to be mown frequently during times or rain – yes these magically elusive ‘times
four-legged. It wants to be kept at about 3” tall to shade it’s root system which is closer
of rain’ will come again. And I mean at LEAST twice a week to keep it short and tight,
to the surface than most turf grass types. Only those areas with
under 1.5”in height. Because it can grow so quickly, we should be feeding it more
soils 6”+ in depth should try St. Augustine... pretty much
often – extra time and expense. Last but most important – Bermuda doesn’t play well
the rule for all lawns really!
with others! Bermuda quickly invades flower beds, vegetable gardens and any-
When fertilized with natural products (no
where you don’t want it... did I mention QUICKLY. Once there it doesn’t come
synthetics), watered deeply every seven to ten
out easily. I can’t tell you how many times people will say “I can’t keep the
days and mowed high St. Augustine takes just as
weeds out of my garden” while pointing at Bermuda grass, inches away
much water to maintain as Bermuda or Zoyzia.
from a Bermuda lawn... It takes several months – summer months – cover-
Several varieties are offered; Texas Common,
ing an area with plastic to solarize out Bermuda out of an unwanted area
Palmetto and Flora-tam are my suggestions.
– and more important, proper planning to keep it from coming back... like
Zoyzia – my favorite!!! Somewhat shade
from your neighbors lawn!
tolerant and can be cut at about 1.5 to 2” and no where near as invasive as Bermuda. I can not
Next month we will talk about caring for our lawns through the Heat of Au-
encourage folks enough to insist that their new home builders install Zoyzia. A few dollars more per pallet,
gust and September. Zoysia
but worth every dollar! And seriously think about it if this
26
EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
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104 Stone Canyon $595,000 Custom home in Cordillera Ranch on a secluded cul-desac. Features include a pool, 5.23 Acres, and easy access to the golf course and clubs.
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29
Wine
By Tom Geoghegan TGeoghegan@boernewineco.com
After the J.Lohr winery piece last month, I received some very nice feedback on that style of content. For me, wine has always been about the people and the stories that surround them… that’s what makes winery history so interesting…the journey to that end point. And in that particular wine bottle, something magical to share with family, friends, and good food…the cycle continues. Now just to clarify, I have nothing against the big corporate wineries, as they make some very nice wines. It’s just my humble opinion that wine tastes better when it’s made by a family. So with that in mind, I’d liked to share some more winery profiles, and share the personal side of the business. One that has been around for a while is the good folks at Duckhorn in the heart of the Napa valley. Celebrating their 35th vintage this year, they were part of the van guard in the 70s that helped put California on the world wine map. From the end of Prohibition thru the 60s, Napa was a sleepy little town. Robert Mondavi had kicked off the new renaissance when he opened the first new winery in the valley since Prohibition (1966). Others quickly followed, among them Mike Grgich (Grgich Hills), Donn Chappellet (Chappellet winery), Jim Barret (Chateau Montelana), Warren Winiarski (Stags Leap Wine Cellars), and a new winemaker by the name of Ric Forman who worked at another new winery (Sterling).And this is just my personal tip of the iceberg when it comes to the new pioneers in Napa. And a young man by the name of Dan Duckhorn was soon to make his contribution to the “modern” history of the valley. A Northern California native, Dan earned his MBA from the University of California at Berkley. In the ensuing years, he worked for a variety of companies, before heading up a company called Vineyard Consulting Corporation (VCC) in 1971.This company specialized in consulting for many of the new and old wineries emerging on the scene. Dan had quickly traded the boardroom for the vineyard. With his “boots on the ground” approach, he began his wine education, literally from the ground up. As he discovered early on, it takes a great vineyard property to make great wine. There is a very complex balancing of elements that enables the humble grape vine to make spectacular wine. As anyone knows in the Hill country that has wild mustang grapes on their property, they don’t need much to produce fruit…sun, soil and water. The fruit is pretty basic, not great. And this is where the majority of the wine industry had been stuck since the 30s.Grape production was geared for whatever and wherever inexpensive and high yield grapes would grow. The result was the Chablis, Burgundy, and Rose’ era...drinkable wines, but not a lot of sophistication or finesse. But this was about to change dramatically, and for the better for the American consumers. Part of Dan’s expertise was his new mantra that great wine starts in the vineyard, influenced by the choices made in varietal, clones, and most importantly, terroir. This
30
was a pretty radical concept for many of the growers at the time, and Dan’s company (VCC) helped raise that level of awareness. They were at the forefront of making wineries aware of the real importance of the elements involved in their consulting work. Topics such as vineyard row spacing, row orientation to the sun, valley floor versus mountain fruit, pairing varietals to appellations, new improved rootstocks, new improved trellising systems, and even micro-climates entered the lexicon of winemaking discussions. Dan could easily see that the industry was ready to make a huge shift from quantity to quality. The defining moment soon came on a trip to France with Rick Forman in the mid 70s when they visited the Pomeral and Saint-Emilion appellations in the Bordeaux region. For centuries these regions produced magnificent red wines that were primarily Merlot based, the most famous being the critically acclaimed Chateau Petrus. Dan had the opportunity to see, observe, and more importantly, taste what the French winemakers had developed all the way from their classic vineyards to the finished bottle. Ric had just recently introduced the first varietal labeled Merlot at Sterling, and felt this grape had tremendous potential in California. But most of the time, Merlot had been used as a blending grape in red wine production. Now the die was cast. With his in-depth knowledge of valley sites and their best grape matchups, Dan returned home and with his then wife Margaret, and founded Duckhorn Vineyards in 1976. His goal was a simple one…create a world class Merlot in Napa. The founding year was especially fortuitous, as greatness was soon to be thrust
on Napa after a small tasting in Paris. Steve Spurrier assembled a top flight collection of French wine writers and critics, and had them rank a collection of the finest red and white wines. Worked into the mix was a group of wines that Steve had tasted on a recent trip to Napa. What this blind tasting provided was a huge understatement as the Chateau Montelana Chardonnay and the Stags Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon were judged the best white and red wines, in a group that had included the very best French examples produced. Time magazine ran with the story, and the Judgment of Paris is now viewed as the start of the fine wine industry in California. Riding this wave of appreciation and anticipation was Dan’s first release in 1978…800 cases of Cabernet
EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
Sauvignon and more importantly 800 cases of a vineyard designated Merlot from a little known site called the Three Palms vineyard. Three Palms vineyard is an improbable designation for what has become one of the valleys most iconic vineyard sites, and often referred to as America’s Petrus. In the late 1800s, Napa was a weekend destination for many San Franciscans that sought a close getaway in the countryside, away from the hustle and bustle of the big city…sounds like a small town in south Texas I’ve come to love. They bought land, built vacation homes and embraced the sleepy nature of the Napa Valley. One that escaped to Napa on a regular basis was a San Francisco socialite named Lillie Hitchcock Coit. She built a beautiful home, named it Larkmead, and entertained family and friend there till her death in 1929. The legacy she left the city of San Francisco is the famed Coit Tower landmark that towers from the hills of the city. The legacy she left the world of California wine were three lone palm trees, all that remained of her holdings. Purchased by the Upton brothers in 1967, they had the radical plan to plant it to vineyards. The 83 acre site seemed a poor choice with minimal soil deposits, dominated by volcanic stones that had washed down the hillsides over the centuries on the northwest side of the valley floor. The locals thought they were nuts when they planted their first grapes in 1968, but they were looking at the site with the fresh perspective of matching the right grapes to the right location. The rocky soil was rich in nutrients and well drained, helping to ”stress” the grapes to produce the best fruit possible by making the root
sections search far and wide and especially deep to locate the food and water they needed. The stones helped absorb the heat of the sun, and radiate the heat back in the evening, helping to ripen the fruit and even helped provide frost protection when the vines are most at risk. The result was the development of the vineyards that are probably the most famous landmark in the valley. In 1992, the brothers lost one of the palms that was 102 years old, and replanted that site with a smaller 40’ palm, and with great affection renamed the vineyard 2 and one-half palms. The Uptons initially only sold their Merlot fruit to two wineries. Dan has produced an unbroken series of Three Palms designation Merlot every vintage since 1983. Now the Uptons sell all their grapes to Duckhorn. As the Uptons put it…”We have always believed in farming Three Palms for the right reasons. For love of the land, not ego. That’s a vision we have
July 2014
always shared with the people of Duckhorn. Ours has been a remarkably long partnership: one based on friendship, respect, and trust.” The other winery, if you’re interested and can even find some, was Sterling. Soon dubbed the “King of Merlot” by the critic and consumers alike, Dan and his team worked on a disciplined growth plan that soon encompassed 13 distinct vineyard sites covering over 1000 acres that produce a portfolio that operates under the Duckhorn, Migration, Decoy, Paraduxx, and the Goldeneye labels. Dan and his team are not ones to rest on their laurels, and with four decades of experience in securing the best growing sites in Napa, Sonoma, and even Mendocino, they are ready for new challenges. As Dan puts it… (Over the years) ” you have to let the market tell you what to do. You can’t tell the market what to do”. Re-inventing himself as he explores new appellations and varietals is minimized, he feels, by using a high percentage of his estate fruit, thus controlling quality and cost. Surrounding himself with the best people is the other key part of his approach to the market. With Tom Rinaldi (now at Hewitt winery) as the founding winemaker all the way to Renee Ary, the current winemaker; he instills in them the creative freedom to utilize the best of every aspect in the winemaking process to produce consistently stellar wines. Case in point, their first ever release of a Napa Chardonnay. Starting in 2001, they began to tinker with this varietal, experimenting with different sites and clones, producing wine with no intention of selling until they got it not just right, but perfect. Originally scheduled for a 2011 debut, Mother Nature intervened with the perfect vintage in 2012.I had the distinct pleasure of tasting and reviewing this wine for a trade publication, and was very impressed with their inaugural vintage. I gave it 97 points. I guess the best place to close is to look at the movie Sideways, and its effect on the Merlot category. It took a relatively unknown varietal and shot it to the top of public awareness, unfortunately with a corresponding increase in price. And by association, it was supposed to be the death knell for Merlot as a category leader in the red wine segment. But a funny thing happened. The category slowly grew even stronger. Those who made great Merlot continued to do so. Quantity of wineries that emphasized Merlot decreased, but quality increased consistently over the years. Remember Dan’s initial release in 1978 of 800 cases? Thirty three vintages later, his 2011 release of Three Palms is slightly over 3000 cases. In the early 80s less than 2,000 acres were grown in California, in 2013 there are almost 45,000 acres being grown. The Merlot category is now up 6.5% in 2013. Next time you’re looking at a restaurant wine list or visiting The Boerne Wine Company, put Merlot on your list to discover or re-discover. As I did many years ago, a glass of Duckhorn is a rich sensory experience, beautiful layers of young fruit, leading to a long lingering finish. Hmmmm…looks like those rib-eyes are ready to come off the grill. Time to pull the cork on that next bottle for Kathy, Sheema, and John. Salud’
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TEXAS INVESTORS TITLE Performance is our Priority
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EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
Welcome to Boerne
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Bluebonnet Realty HOMES FOR SALE
1.) FOR SALE - $595,000 - GREATLY REDUCED Cordillera Home for lucky buyer. Approx. 3761 s.f. of living area on 5.31 ac, 4 bed, 3.5 bath, pool, near clubhouse.
2.) FOR SALE - $234,800 - 4 bed, 2.5 bath, 2553 s.f. of living area, large shady back yard in Bentwood
3.) FOR SALE - $409,900 - 8702 Timberland Trail, immaculate 4 bedroom home in the Woods of Fair Oaks
HOMES & COMMERCIAL FOR LEASE
4.) FOR LEASE - $1550 - 3 bed, 2 bath restored turn of century home with approx. 1665 s.f. of living area, all new appliances in Comfort, TX
5.) FOR LEASE - $1350 – 3 bed, 2 ba enclosed patio, storage, fenced yard approx.. 1500 s.f. of living area
6.) FOR LEASE - $2200 - Fair Oaks home on 1.48 acres, pool, 3 bed, 2.1 baths, approx. 2030 s.f. living area. Great place!
7.) FOR LEASE - $1600 - Boerne Heights 3 bed, 2 ba available end of July
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SPIRITUAL
Here
I’M RIGHT By Kendall D. Aaron :: kendall@hillcountryexplore.com
I’m a pretty contemplative soul. I like to spend time, staring off at a sunset or the pillowy clouds as they roll across the sky, and consider the course of my existence. Am I in a good spot? A bad spot? Am I handling a particular situation well? Am I acting like a complete dumbass? I spend a fair amount of time just slowing down and surveying the landscape of my existence and understanding either the consequences or good fortune that I am currently experiencing. Sometimes I think back to decisions that either I made, or were made for me. I think back to when my first marriage crumbled, and I long for things I could have told my 22 year old self that would have saved me so much heartache and pain. I think about my work and things that I wished I had known were about to happen that could have sent me into far better, more productive directions. I think about my current (and far more fabulous) marriage and re-live situations that I could have handled better and that would have saved me from some other tough situations. I think and I think and I think. I like to think that I’m not laying in the grass watching the clouds and necessarily regretting things and how I’ve behaved, but rather, I hope that I can unpack these situations and see God at work in each of them. One of the things that I think we are all guilty of is the selfish perspective that WE are in charge. We tend to see our lives as this linear journey where we skip joyfully along until we are posed with a “situation”. It’s a cosmic STOP sign that is placed in our way and we are forced to make a decision. Do we turn left or right? Do we continue straight? We like to think that we consider all of the outcomes, make the best possible decision for ourselves and our families, and then resume our joyful skipping. When we realize that we have, perhaps, made the wrong decision, our skipping ceases, we experience a period of self-flogging, and we wait anxiously for the next opportunity to come upon the cosmic STOP sign so that we can make a better decision and get back to the right path. The reality, however, is that we are on a path that God has always known we’d be on, and one that He is walking with us. You can probably identify several situations that you perceived as “bad”. A job loss. A failed marriage. Troubles with your child. A health concern or death. These are some pretty sucky situations, I’ll agree. So if you stop and re-live these situations, where did they ultimately lead you? My crappy first marriage led me, ultimately, through some tremendous spiritual growth, the strengthening of my bonds with my children, and brought me a most fabulous wife whom I love with all my heart and soul. I was fired from a job in 2007, and that scared the bejeebus out of me because I was completely broke and left without insurance, any savings, nor any new job prospects. Eventually, the job I found after that period pays me exponentially more, is far more stable, and is one that I fully enjoy. What about you? I would imagine that you could identify a whole slew of bad days that you’ve had that eventually led you in very positive directions. The larger point here is that there is a purpose for all things. All the crummy things that you perceive happening to you are not always your fault. Yes, if you sin and extort from your place of employment, there will be consequences that are entirely your fault, but even in that situation, much good can from it. I get as frustrated as you do about the tough spots in life. I moan about opportunities that I missed, both professionally and personally, and I also slap my hand to my forehead about bone-headed decisions that I’ve made. However, the more I live and the more I experience, the more that I see that God was in place throughout each and every one of those times, and that He was orchestrating my life as part of a large plan that I cannot truly see nor understand. Why would He put me through a time that was hard and scary and exhausting? Because years later, I would come to a similar STOP sign, make a different decision, and experience a period of great joy and blessings; blessings that I would never have known if I had not gone through a crummy period years earlier. God is all around you. Even in the times that you think He has abandoned you, He is right there walking with you. Embrace the situations in your life. Ask God to show you what He wants you to learn, and rejoice in the knowledge that, while you might currently be frustrated or scared, you are confident that He is leading you to the exact spot He wants you. And when you are where God wants you, good things are just around the corner.
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EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
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July 2014
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A new place to find a little bit of bliss in Boerne!
Now Open! 926 E. Blanco Rd, Building #100 PH: 830-331-2824
Locally owned and operated by Natalie Hochstetler & Lisa Schneider
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EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
Menger Springs Hill Country Mediterranean Exciting Floor Plan with Courtyard and Outdoor Fireplace on 1.68 acres. Price Reduced $749,000
Charm and History 1940’s Updated Estate in K-Bar-M. 3.82 Acres surrounded by Gardens, Guest House, Pool. Offered at $460,000
Cordillera Ranch Home With Amazing Views built by Burdick & Christofilis 5 Hilltop Acres, Approx 5431 Sq Ft, Pool, Spa, Waterfall, Outdoor Kitchen. Adjoining 5 acre lots available. Price Reduced $1,195,000
Hill Country Contemporary in Champee Springs/Ranger Creek Road Area 53 Acres, Unique Custom Residence with a Breathtaking Loggia overlooking the Property Plus Outdoor Arena and Barns. Offered at $1,649,000
Charming Country Estate on the Medina River 57 Acres with 1,000 ft of waterfront. Restored Farm House plus Guest House, Rock Barns, Pool, Airplane Hangar with short air strip. Offered at $1,695,000
Texas Hill Country Views - 67 Acres at Sisterdale near Boerne Magnificent retreat with 9000 sq ft home, guest house, bunk house, 3 wells, Jacobs Creek. Price Reduced $2,275,000.
Hill Country Hacienda 55 acres rolling hills and great views with total privacy. Custom designed with plaster walls, interior cedar logs separating living areas plus guest house. Wildlife Tax Exemption. New Listing offered at $749,000
Stunning 138 Acre Estate at Spring Lake Ranch - Ranger Creek Road Luxurious main residence plus 2 guest houses, high fenced, trophy white tail deer. Your own private lake with largemouth bass. Offered at $4,600,000
Susan Hallmark
Broker Associate 1002 River Road, Suite 300 | Boerne, Texas 78006 m :: 830-688-6194 | o :: 830-816-5260 susan.hallmark@sothebysrealty.com kuperrealty.com
DISTINGUISHED lifestyles
We here at EXPLORE take pride in the little community we have here nestled in the Hill Country. This month we feature Bergmann Lumber Co., a shop that has been a cornerstone for Main Street business for over 50 years. They’ve recently been given the Texas Treasure Business Award and we wanted to hear from Randy, Christina, and Shanna about their story and how they’ve remained so successful for so long.
What’s your favorite story to come out of Bergmann Lumber? Christina: My favorite story is that I met my husband Michael while working here at the store. Shanna: When my son, Christian, started helping out in the summer and having customers praise him on how he counts their change back to them correctly (register does not show how much change is due.) Working with family gave me chance to develop a closer relationship with our grandfather. Although he was tough to work for at times. As a small town, small general/hardware store, how do you stay competitive against big box stores like Home Depot for the past 57 years? Giving our customers the service they like and deserve. The big box stores are not always the cheapest. Special orders- if we do not have the item for our customer we work hard at finding what they need in a timely manner. Staying competitive is a challenge for any business today. We pride ourselves in customer service. We are here to help our customers and make their shopping experience as smooth as possible. There are many times a customer will come in and start off by saying “ i need something but i don’t know what it’s called” we will ask them to describe it to us and majority of the time when know what they need before they finish their description. The they tell us they were at another store and the people didn’t have a clue as to what they needed. A lot of older buildings around town have stories about being haunted. Has anything happened that would be considered “out of the ordinary”? We are somewhat surprised that the building is not haunted by the young Velmont Adler who was killed in the basement when the freight elevator fell on him. There has been one incident where a lady was seen standing and waving at one of the upstairs windows. But has never been seen again. Shanna: On a few occasion while mixing paint in the basement I have seen a shadow of movement in my peripheral vision and of course when I would look that direction I would not see anything.
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Bergmann Lumber has recently been awarded the Texas Treasure Business Award. Describe the process for becoming recognized. You have to be nominated by an elected state official or business representative. Must have continuously operated for a minimum of 50 years, operating the same type of business. Have a continuous record of employment, and operate as an independent, for profit business for a minimum of 50 years. Maintain a good business relationship with the state. Have documentation for years of business. Give us a “brief” history of Bergmann Lumber. In 1957 Egdar and Ruby Bergmann purchased Jack Ammann Lumber Company located at 231 S Main st. and changed the name to Bergmann Lumber Company and opened on April 1st. In 1969 they moved across the street to the present location at 236 S. Main. In 1993 their son Randy and his wife Darlene purchased the business. At present Randy and two of his three daughters, Shanna and Christina continue to operate the family business. What has been the biggest challenge for the business? Looks from main street are deceiving. People do not realize we have merchandise behind our building and in the basement. Due to our limited floor space we have merchandise in the basement and mix paint down stairs too. Since access to the “back yard” is not located adjacent to our building people are unaware we have lumber, mason supplies and more behind our building. Stocking the items that the customers want and staying competitive is definitely one of the major challenges. Some of the biggest challenges in this business are keeping up with the trends and stocking items that customers are looking for, also staying competitive with pricing. Many people think that because we are a small family store our prices are higher that is not always true. We have had many people that come in and say “wow I just paid a lot more for that same item at the Box Store”.
What is the long term plan for Bergmann Lumber? Being here for many more years. We would love to continue to serve the community for as long as possible. What would you like to say to the Boerne community? Thank you for your support and allowing us to serve them. Without “you” we would not be here. Shop and support local for the mom and pop stores have helped make our community very special. Thank you for the continued support over the years.We know you have a choice and we appreciate the business and look forward to helping you with your next project. Please support all the small family business in town, without them (us) there would not be a downtown. What are some of your earliest memories of Bergmann Lumber? Randy: Unloading truck loads of lumber by hand before having a forklift. Drivers were only allowed a certain number of hours to get unloaded or we would have to pay them extra. If we were running out of time we would just push what was left on the truck off onto the ground so the driver could leave and then we would have to pick it up and put it away Shanna: My earliest memories are when my sisters and I would roller skate inside after hours while our mother, Darlene would be catching up on paperwork or stocking shelves. Also, during the summer hanging out and listening to our grandpa speak German with customers. Christina: After school we would walk to the store and spend our afternoons playing outside in the lumber bins. I was about 12 years old when I had my first job here, it was repairing and re-screening window screens. It’s still one of the many things I do here today.
EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
July 2014
www.hillcountryexplore.com
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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
Old
Timer
BEER AT BERGES FEST I like Berges Fest. It’s our own little excuse to act German, drink German, and stomp around town in Lederhosen. I like to see the guys in the parade floats drinking beer at 930am. I don’t know why, but that just seems proper. It’s so… politically incorrect, and in all instances, non-political-correctness makes me smile. Grown men, eating breakfast tacos and washing them down with a Bud Light is just flat out fun. I can see their wives roll their eyes, and the bible-thumpers are praying for them, but these men laugh, grab another beer, and tighten up their Lederhosen. Love it.
HERFF ROAD EXPANSION
how many lights I’ve sat at where the young
Only within the confines of City Government
lady in front of me is so busy texting while
would a group of people get together and
her right blinker is on and she never once
tout the benefits of their new road that they
actually TURNS THE DAMN CORNER. I’m
have built that would solve our traffic woes.
old and cranky – soon I’m going to start
Except when the road doesn’t go anywhere.
giving you a “love tap.” Issue 2: When you
We HAD a Herff Road that took you from River
are merging onto I-10, the trick is to get up
to Old San Antonio. Now we have a wider
to speed QUICK. Do not attempt to merge
road that takes you from River to Old San An-
onto the freeway lanes doing 35. You will
tonio. You’ll just go that .25 mile FASTER now.
be mowed down, and I will shake my fist
Pretty amazing, huh? I know that they’re going
at your smoldering heap of a car after that
to tell me that someday it will poke through
tractor-trailer turns you into a speed bump.
to Main Street, but am I the only that finds it funny that they have done all of this demolition
SPEED-TRAPS
for the Herff Road widening but have done
Yes, we have them, and I’m going to tell
absolutely nothing for the rest of the project?
you where they are. There are 3, primar-
Pffft – thanks for saving me the time between
ily. One is on River Road eastbound as you
traffic stops.
come around the curve at the Fairgrounds. There Mr. Friendly Officer sits under the
THE ENTIRE NORTH END OF MAIN
55mph sign. But here’s the rub: up until
STREET.
then, it’s 35mph. No, not a soul drives 35
Poor, poor north end. You, with your dilapidat-
in that stretch of road because it would be
ed strip centers, crappy saloons and Mexican
dangerous, but it’s cool – the city needs the
food joints. Why must it be this way? Wouldn’t
revenue. The 2nd one is on the Johns Road
it be cool if the main shopping drag extended
access road ramp coming off of I-10. The
all the way to everyone’s favorite bar, Buckles?
speed limit goes from the freeway (70) to
A street lined with vibrant shops and intrigu-
the access road (35) in about 12 feet. You’re
ing dining options that would pull customers
doomed. If you see him, just nod, sign the
the entire length of main street, instead of an
ticket, and move along citizen. The last one
area that is basically two city blocks? So what’s
is on Esser between the high school and
the deal? I have no solution other than to bitch
Longhorn Steakhouse. He hides on the side
about it, but I just think it’s depressing that
streets and hits you with his radar while you
as soon as you get past Jefferson Bank, the
don’t even know he’s there.
storefronts lose all appeal, the strip centers are cheap and full of failing businesses, and the
SWAT VEHICLE
EDC is slapping their fist on the desk that if we
Were you aware that the City of Boerne is
only had more apartments up there we could
now the proud owner of a full-on, military-
fix all that. Pfffft – EDC.
style SWAT vehicle. Bullet-proof, with huge tires, it looks like something that Detroit
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DRIVERS
would own by the dozen. But Boerne? Are
I make fun of San Antonio drivers all the time.
you further aware that we are (at last check)
They roll around that cesspool of a town
the smallest city IN THE COUNTRY to own
without any working blinkers, 3 dozen genera-
one? When was the last time we had a
tors strapped into the back of the truck, and
SWAT episode in Boerne? Oh, you can’t
well, traffic laws be damned. But you know
remember? Yeah, nor can I. But it’s cool –
what? Boerne drivers are getting just as bad.
the city says that it was free from Obama, so
Issue 1: You can turn right on red. I can’t count
that makes it ok. Pffffft- Stupid Obama.
EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.
TEXAS TREASURES GALLERY OF ART & ARTISANS GRAND OPENING RECEPTION, JULY 12, 2014, 4 – 8 PM LIVE MUSIC, WINE, AND FOOD This is a one of a kind gallery, a true Hill Country Art Tour all in one place. Meet artists from Fredericksburg, Kerrville, Dripping Springs, Wimberley, Salado, and our hometown of Boerne, Texas. Every piece of art is hand made in Texas. This is a true Texas Gallery! Come celebrate with our artists during our Grand Opening!
Open Daily 10:30 – 5:30, Sundays 12:00 - 4:00 615 S. Main Street, Boerne, TX 78006
830-816-5331