EXPLORE November 2014 by Schooley Media Ventures, LLC

November 2014

Top brands, great prices, and incomparable service.

Men’s & Women’s Clothing • Boots • Hats • Saddles & Tack 28 7 6 5 IH 1 0 W • B o e r ne, TX 78006 • 830-981-5577 • www.t xt acknrags .com

Welcome to Boerne

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Bluebonnet Realty HOMES FOR SALE D L O S 1.) FOR SALE - $239,000 - Totally renovated. New ceramic tile, laminate and carpeting throughout! Freshly painted in neutral colors. New stainless oven/range, dishwasher and fresh landscaping in front yard. Oversized back yard (lot size is 1/3 ac!) Room for swimming pool, garden, putting green!!! Close to walking trail and downtown Boerne. Reduced for quick sale!

2.) FOR SALE - $625,000 - 8.36 Acre gem in Boerne, TX. Custom 4/2.5 home located in Ranger Creek. Features include controlled entry to property, park-like setting, pool, outdoor speakers, and an outdoor porch.

4.) FOR SALE - $675,000 - Great Potential for this property on Scenic Loop Road. 3 houses, old smoke house, and storage building on 2.82 acres. Main house has 3000 s.f., and other 2 houses have approx. 1500 s.f. each.

3.) FOR SALE - $399,900 - 8702 Timberland Trail, immaculate 4 bedroom home in the Woods of Fair Oaks

5.) FOR SALE - $549,000 Waterfront property in River Mountain Ranch with private river access! Custom 3/3.5 home built with views of the Guadalupe from the master bedroom, family room, and balcony. Outdoor balcony has surround sound speakers runs the length of the home with fireplace and surround sound speakers. Private road on the property going down to the river. 3.57 acres.

HOMES & COMMERCIAL FOR LEASE

6.) FOR LEASE - $1400 - 3 bed, 2 bath restored turn of century home with approx. 1665 s.f. of living area, all new appliances in Comfort, TX

7.) FOR LEASE - $1175 - Sweet 2 bed, 1 bath in Ranger Creek. Large fenced yard, garage, extra storage. Walk to pool and tennis courts.

9.) $1850 - 4 bed, 2.5 bath approx. 2600 s.f. of living area, in Boerne Heights

8.) FOR LEASE - $900 - 2 bed, 1 bath cutie near walking trail and Cibolo Wilderness

10.) FOR LEASE - $1900 - 3 bed, 2 ba, garage, fenced front and back yard on 1/2 acres

MORE HOMES AVAILABLE. CALL FOR LISTINGS.

830-816-2288 â&#x20AC;˘ www.boernetexashomes.com

NOVEMBER Explore what's inside this issue!

8 From the Publisher 10 Calendar 12 MUSIC

TROUBADOUR

Sometimes a stage is just a stage, then the lights go down and it’s not a stage, but a moment.

28 Spiritual

44 FITNESS

Let go and let god

EXPLORE FITNESS CHALLENGE

Time to check out what been going on this month in our fitness challenge.

32 Wine THE DOCTOR’s ORDERS

Dr. Julio Palmaz’s passion for wine led to building the world’s largest completely underground gravity flow winery.

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 Michael Mancha michael@smvtexas.com

36 LIFE It’s your choice

ADVERTISING SALES 210-507-5250 sales@hillcountryexplore.com

What kind of choices are you making? How are they affecting your life? Your happiness? You can change them!

40 Cooking

Cooking Czech

18 HISTORY

SISTERDALE

Just so we’re clear, we are cooking a duck, not a Czech. Czechs are much larger.

A complete and thorough history of the small Texas town.

46 Old TImer RAMBlings

All new construction in Boerne is built upon a solid foundation of crushed hopes and dreams of a preserved small town. And Indian burial grounds.

24 My Town THE SIX-String Professor

An interview with guitarist and teacher Cy Torgerson

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

Rene Villanueva Music

Kendall D. Aaron Spiritual

Old Timer Ramblings

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.

6 EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.

SAN MARCOS | (512) 667-6440 | 4200 IH35 SOUTH SUITE 200

SAN ANTONIO | (210) 549-1686 | 5602 KENWICK

From the Publisher Dearest EXPLORE reader, Texas, and in particular the far West Texas region, is chock full of what most of us would call “ghost towns.” Sometimes little more than a small cluster of clapboard buildings, many leaning over at this point, were once the central hub to an actual working town. I have toured some of these, and the buildings themselves are of little interest to me. We have all driven some back road here in our own neck of the woods and seen a crumbling old barn or out-building on the corner of a ranch, and to me, they are identical to those eerie ghost-town buildings of West Texas. However, it’s what’s inside those ghost-town buildings that hold the real value. At least for me. A dinner setting. A shot glass beside a half full bottle of whiskey on the bar. A shirt thrown haphazardly across the rumpled bed. A bible sitting on a night-stand. These incredibly mundane objects left for all eternity in their final resting place. I replay in my mind the moments leading up to the object being left/placed in their position – what was the owner doing? Thinking? Did they think they would return shortly? Were they scared? The questions are endless. When I was in college, I played guitar and was the singer for a small “going-nowhere” little band. We would play these dive-bars on the weekends, make $25 a piece for the night, and then spend $35 on our bar tabs. It was fantastic. We would rock that stage as if we were Guns ‘n Roses, flirt with both of our “groupies”, and then while drunk off our asses, spend hours loading our equipment to be ready for the next leg of our World Tour. During this tenure, I became the chief lyricist. I would come to band rehearsal with the “song”, a basic chord structure, and over the course of the evening, we would spend hours fine-tuning the song until we were all pleased. If there was one thing worth boasting about the little band; we played only original songs. (Yes, we threw in the occasional drunken party-cover, but 99% of the stuff we played was stuff that we had created). Eventually our catalogue of songs grew. It grew to the point that some of the guys in the band couldn’t remember one song from the next. Some we didn’t play for weeks at a time, and they struggled when we would add it to the setlist. I decided to put together every song I had ever written for them to have in a binder. I figured that they could review them on their own time to keep them fresh in their memory. Upon completion, the songs filled a 2” 3-ring binder and then some. Pages upon pages of original music. Some were good, some were atrocious, but each member had the entire collection of virtually every song that had spilled out of my head onto paper. I had learned through the process of writing those songs that “practice makes perfect”. I am certainly no poet, nor am I a wonderful song-writer, but every once in a blue moon I would actually pen a song that was touching, heart-felt, and musically questionable, but lyrically STRONG. Over time, this hobby of penning songs in class instead of listening to my professor had become an actual skill. As for the binder full of songs, it’s long been lost to the ages. I think about it every once in a while, and I long for it. I have searched long-forgotten boxes in the attic thinking that someday I’ll stumble across it, but alas, multiple home moves later, it has yet to appear so I assume it has been forever lost. I want it back badly. I want to wander through the recesses of my 23-year old mind and heart. I’d love to shake my head at the immaturity of it all, and I’d hope that I might stumble across wisdom in those words as well. I can remember bits and pieces of some of the songs, and I can remember some beautiful prose, and at the same time, I can remember some real red-faced shameful nonsense. Regardless, I wrote them, and I’d love to flip through those pages again. My early-pioneer friends of ghost-town fame remind me of that binder of music. They CREATED. They created a home, and a town, and a life. They produced families, and laughter, and fires in the living room hearth. They shared stories, and they wept, and they made love. The time spent in that town, which ultimately became a ghost-town, was a period of their lives that was left behind. I’m sure that they assumed they would return, but ultimately, their “lives” were left behind and still sit in the exact location that they left it. And some 100 years later, tourists gawk at their humble homes and even more humble possessions. We create stupid theories about why they left so urgently, and then certainly create even more amazing stories about how the original inhabitants still haunt the premises. Somewhere sits a dark blue binder of original music. Its pages are yellowed with age (and spilled beer), but there it sits. It has handwritten notes on the edges of the pages, and scribbled chord diagrams all over the place. It’s my “ghost-town”. I set it on a table somewhere, certain that I would return to it shortly, and then for whatever reason, I didn’t. And unfortunately for me, it has been lost to the passage of time.

Life is often separated into periods of time. Seasons, if you will. My blue binder was a season of my life, much like the ghost-town inhabitants would probably categorize their time in that withering town as a particular season for them. And much like the yearly seasons change, our own lives gradually (almost imperceptibly) change into the next season. As they do, we invariably leave something behind to be found by a future wanderer. It’s something for them to stare at, to wonder about YOU, and to smile at the passage of time (even if they don’t realize they’re doing it). An old treehouse you built for the kids? A tool you have misplaced that now hides under your work-bench? A scrape on your dining room wall where your 8 year old leaned back in their chair during Thanksgiving dinner and fell over? A book lying the attic, full of highlighted passages and handwritten notes? It doesn’t have to be profound art nor hand-written lyrics. You are leaving marks in the landscape this very day. A map of your life, and ones that will cause a future resident to marvel at the simplicity of your life, and the beauty that it surely contained. We will all move on and leave our own version of a ghost-town. I’m not going to tell you to focus your energies on creating works of art nor awe-inspiring prose, but I am going to tell you that what you see today may not be there tomorrow. Life is a temporary and beautiful work of art on its own, and today is tomorrow’s ghost-town. Stare with wonder at the beauty you see today, for in the blink of an eye, it will be covered with dust and cobwebs, and you would give anything to go back and experience those days/ weeks/moments all over again – if for no other reason than to simply smile at the silliness of it. Or the beauty of it. Much like my 3-ring binder. Welcome to November. A month of giving thanks. May you close your eyes, point your face toward the sun, and feel the wind envelop you. Walk the path of your life, EXPLORE, and may you eternally find thanksgiving for being in this moment, with these people, and remember that time is forever fleeting…but it also most beautiful, for the instant that you capture it. Sincerely,

ben@hillcountryexplore.com

8 EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.

Thankful – Boerne: 3 bedroom, 3 bath luxury home with over 20 acres. $1,295,000 River Mountain Ranch: 3 bedroom, 3.5 bath gem on 30 acres. $1,100,000

for Hill Country living, and for having clients and neighbors like you!

Comfort: 3,994 sq. ft , 5 bedroom, 4 bath masterpiece on 22+ acres. $895,000 Spring Creek: 4,000+ sq. ft. luxury home near downtown Boerne. $889,500

Waterstone: Historic 4 bedroom, 3 bath homestead on 12+ acres. $689,500 Menger Springs: Luxurious 4 bedroom, 4.5 bath Mediterranean. $939,900

Denise Graves, realtor® anD CertifieD luxury Home marketinG speCialist

The Graves Group The art of Hill Country luxury real estate

LOGO LOCKUP

Office: 210-408-4053

I Cell: 210-260-2176 I www.thegravesgroup.com

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Exclude the tagline: “A Better View of Living”

A Better View of LivingA Better View of Living

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When you’re ready to take the next step towards a second home in the city, The Broadway Residences will welcome you with an unparalleled lifestyle and a level of hospitality that rivals many luxury hotels. Your every comfort and convenience have been considered with thoughtfully coordinated amenities and services. Enjoy the yoga room and state-of-the-art exercise facility, or relax around the resort-style pool and spa complete with cabanas and gas grills. The Broadway Residences are pet friendly and offer two dog parks. Living at The Broadway allows you to attend to business without ever leaving your home, taking advantage of the business center and conference room. Come home to the city. Come home to The Broadway Residences. Alamo Heights I North San Antonio I IH-10 / Hill Country I Boerne I 210-824-7878 I www.phyllisbrowning.com

NOVEMBER 2014

www.hillcountryexplore.com

NOVEMBER

Get out and enjoy the great Texas Hill Country! The most comprehensive events calendar. Send submissions to info@hillcountryexplore.com

NOVEMBER 7-8 WIMBERLEY 27th Annual Hill Country Home Tour

Hosted by the Wimberley Civic Club. The tour includes five outstanding homes in the Wimberley Valley open from 10 am to 5 pm both days. Winters-Wimberley House open from 9 am to 5 pm with gift shop, baked goods, free wine tasting, lunch prepared by the Leaning Pear.

November 7-16 new braunfels wurstfest

Join us for a unique annual celebration rich in German culture and full of Texas fun! Located near the headwaters of the beautiful Comal River in New Braunfels, Texas! Here you’ll enjoy good food, music, dancing, exciting carnival rides and games, German, Texan and domestic beer, special events and the finest in Alpine and Bavarian Style Entertainment. It all happens at Wurstfest! The best ten days in sausage history.

November 8 Bandera Bandera Cattle Company Gunfighters

Gunfight re-enactments at Western Heritage Plaza downtown Bandera. 12:00PM & 2:00PM Western Heritage Plaza, Main Street. 830-796-3045

November 8 Boerne Hot Dog Thanksgiving at Herff Farm

November 14 CAstroville Friday night fever

Come enjoy an evening of cars, trucks, bikes, food, shopping and live entertainment! Located at Wommack Chevrolet on Highway 90, just East of Castroville.

November 15 Boerne Moondance Concert at the Cibolo Nature Center & Farm

Join us for a Harvest Snuggle at the last Moondance Concert of the year! One Minute to Midnight is bringing its Rock, Blues, Jazz and Country sounds to the Hill Country. Everything from Cole to soul, from swing to Sting! Come and enjoy a great evening of music and dancing. Bring your lawn chairs, snacks and adult beverages of your choice along with your dancing shoes. Bringing a blanket along at this time of year is also probably a good idea! It’s sure to be fun. Gates open at 7:30 PM. Music starts at 8:00 PM. $7.50 members. $10.00 non-members. Kids under 12 are free. nature@ cibolo.org 830-249-4616

November 21 Bandera Nature Walk: Autumn in the Hill Country

Nature Walk with the park interpretive ranger. See the autumn colors show, from native grasses to Texas Red Oak trees. One mile easy round-trip walk with rest stop. Don’t forget your water, camera, books & notepads.

November 22 Boerne Lucas Jack at RANDOM

FREE SHOW NO COVER!!! Join us as we celebrate fall with Lucas Jack Piano in the Yard!! Random is a Family Friendly Pet Friendly beer garden with 80 Craft Beers on Tap, Wine, Sangria, Food Trucks, and A monster bounce and monster slide!! Join us, it is going to be a beautiful evening!! For additional questions or inquiries about reserving tables please call 210-517-1392

November28 KERRVILLE Kerr county market days

An old fashioned market on the square featuring handmade crafts, original artwork and home grown plants and produce along with food and music. Pets on leashes are welcome.

November 29 Boerne Dickens on Main

Celebrate Christmas Hill Country Style! Picture yourself in merry ole history with horse drawn carriges, carolers, street performers, Santa and much more, and you’re at Dickens on Main! www.dickensonmain.com

November 21 Marble falls walkway of lights

Over 2 million lights transform Lakeside Park into a holiday wonderland with Santa on the weekends (weather permitting).

Come join us for food and fun in the courtyard for our Fourth Annual Kid’s Club Hot Dog Thanksgiving! We will be roasting hot dogs, making autumn wreathes, and S’MORES! For kids of all ages. No drop-offs, please. $5.00 per family.

November 8 Boerne Second Saturday Art & Wine

Enjoy a glass of wine and stroll through the art galleries. Hours are 4–8 p.m. Various venues. www. secondsaturdayartandwine.com

November 8-9 Boerne Boerne Market Days

Since 1850, Main Plaza has been a center point of trade for the people of Boerne. In the present day, on the second weekend of every month, Main Plaza is home to a magical out door market that blends the traditions of the Texas Hill Country with the creations of today’s culture. Hundreds of festive booths display everything from collectibles and remembrances of the past to modern innovations that will bring a smile of wonder to those who stroll past. Scrumptious food and captivating music top the experience and delight the senses.

Y P P A H IVING

G S K N THA RIENDS RF U O Y FROM E R O L P X AT E

10 EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.

We are 100% Authentic

NOVEMBER 2014

518 River Road, Boerne, TX www.littlegretel.com 830-331-1368

www.hillcountryexplore.com

By Rene Villanueva

“I’ve seen’em... all of’em... right here,” the boulder

these giant flower meat warmers, and I was sweating

level. I hadn’t noticed how tall the stage was, I had only

of a man never closed his mouth. When he wasn’t

buckets every night, but at least they looked great,

noticed how narrow, and cluttered it looked to me.

talking he was breathing, but always a big open hole

and the fainting stopped.

The crowd wasn’t seeing the mess of cables and power

where words came out and beer went in. His lips were too thin to be seen under his two day salt and pepper. He was at once mesmerizing and hard to look at. Three thick busted fingers pushed against the bar

The rest of my band was off in the city, and I finished an afternoon drink, paid my tab, and left my new friend to go explore the stage. There was almost no room to walk. I couldn’t

outlets but only us, well us above our shins. This made the musicians the focus of everything they saw. Second, they kept a curtain closed between acts, adding a sense of theatrics to the night. Cause when

believe this was the same stage so many big names

the curtain rises and the lights are dark, the house

with every one of his alcohol soaked words, “I didn’t

had played before. I’d seen it in videos, but every-

music silenced, then the crowd really gets amped.

even hav’ta leave... I live,” his eyes seemed to drift

thing looks bigger on television. And there amidst

apart like they couldn’t decide where to look as he

a tangle of wires, was my corner of it. My amp. My

pointed first to the door then to the back wall, “I live,

bass. My Mic. My moment. A slice of time where I

ment. A moment for me. And for the kids who have

down the street... Just walk here and see the best,

shared a part of this.

never seen a show before. And the ones who brought

best shows, you could imagine... the best. Ya ever play somewhere like this ‘ene?”

Right off stage from me was the monitor console, and another grizzled fixture of this club, the monitor guy.

And that gets me amped. I felt then, this was not just another show, but a mo-

dates, trying to impress friends and would-be lovers with a good time. And the barfly, and the sound guy,

I didn’t know what to tell him. I had, I mean I’ve

This one was thinner than the earlier bar fly, but

played historic places, I’ve played bigger places. But

his long ponytail was just as white and his blue eyes

before and still come hoping to be delighted and

you can’t break a guy’s story like that, you just can’t.

just as wild. He carried his next cigarette behind his

wowed with something new and creative again. It

He stands his life on his stories, we all do. That’s all

ear, ready for a break, and a roll of black gaff on his

does still happen.

we have. Memories, stories, “never man. This place is

belt. He moved quickly back and forth across the

All those thoughts were in my head when inch by

pretty great.”

stage with a quick two-note whistle/wheeze every

inch the curtain was raised. And to my right was the

“No, ‘ene,” I don’t know if it was the beer or just

three steps. As if on auto, he went about plugging in

grizzled face, with a new cigarette tucked in behind

the fact that he couldn’t pronounce Rene completely,

cables, positioning speakers around our gear, taping

his ears for after the show giving me a thumbs up.

but it was kinda endearing, “this place is the best.”

down loose wires. Not talking, especially to me, only

I couldn’t imagine the best shows being in Minneapolis. Nothing against the city, just never imagined it. The stage was much smaller than clubs that hold

occasionally did he grumble into a walkie-talkie. The older crews don’t really talk to the younger bands. They’re some of the toughest critics, having

and all the old guards who’ve seen it a million times

Higher up it went, and there were the bright faced teens, and lovers with arms around their significants, all lined in rows clapping and screaming, fighting for a better view.

half the number of people. Maybe it was all our stuff,

seen too many shows to be fooled by cheap gimmicks

but it seemed small even before we loaded in. It

and fads, it’s not easy to impress the older ones. I

in the back I knew there was the wobbly-eyed boulder

looked impossibly small when I was standing at the

don’t blame them.

knocking back the last of his drink before turning his

front of house looking at all the amps, guitars, two

When it came time to play, I was on the side of the

The curtain was almost at the top, and somewhere

stool to the stage. To see this moment.

drums, congas, a giant open triangle, and the lights:

stage waiting to go on. Practicing a few bass runs,

All ready. The music goes. The lights flash. Drums.

These giant metal flower shaped lights, towered

warming up my fingers, watching the opening act.

Guitars. Our singer is off, and with a snap at the bot-

over our gear, blasting down waves of heat. We had

Suddenly, I felt a change. Maybe it was a little bit of

tom of my right hand, my string breaks.

started the tour with two thin lines of LED’s, but high-

adrenaline, or maybe it was a truck of the lights, but

powered lights mixed with a high-volume band had

the club started looking a little different.

more than few audience members passing out during our sets; so somewhere along the way we picked up

The crowd that had now poured in to just shy of capacity, was pushed together, their heads below stage

12 EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.

NOVEMBER 2014

www.hillcountryexplore.com

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14 EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.

Mary Mellard, DDS

Randy Mellard, DDS, MS

• American Dental Association

• Texas Dental Association

• San Antonio Dental Society

• 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

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 serve the residents of 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 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

Master in the Academy of General Dentistry • 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE 806 N. Main St. • Boerne • 830-249-7870 • www.drchethawkins.com

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HISTORY

THE HISTORY OF SISTERDALE TEXAS

18 EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.

By Marjorie Hagy | thefam2001@yahoo.com he whole thing started with a guy riding along the old Pinta Trail,

Louise dumped him and took the unusual step (for those days) of divorcing him, claim-

going from one place to start over in another place, when he saw

ing adultery, abuse, ill-treatment and abandonment. A New Braunfels jury gave Louise

a whole new place that took his breath away with its beauty. He

the house, the furniture and the dough, and Nicolaus got out of town. This was in the

was supposed to be just passing through this valley between two

fall of 1847, when we find Nicolaus on the Pinta Trail, the ancient roadway used by

creeks just north of the Guadalupe River, but all that water, this

Spanish explorers and missionaries, by settlers and Comanches and other natives alike.

lush, lovely dale between, made Nicolaus Zink slow his horse,

Zink was headed for Fredericksburg, but fell instead under the spell of that valley be-

then climb down altogether and drink in the place, get drunk on

tween East and West Sister Creeks, just north of the Guadalupe. He bought 1280 acres

it and on the visions of a bright future the scene itself inspired.

of that lovely land in the swale, and built himself (and his new wife Elizabeth) a two-story

Here was the very place, a veritable Utopia, in which a learned city would grow, a center

log cabin ‘in the sweet spot of the valley, straddling the sister creeks and abutting the

of culture and art where gentlemen farmers would speak in Latin of music and life and

Guadalupe’. And thus Zink’s Settlement was born.

the betterment of man over glasses brimful of wine pressed from the fruit of their own

In that same year, 1847, a fellow named Ottmar von Behr arrived in Galveston with

vineyards. Here he would bring forth a community of like-minded scholars living life as it

his wife and family. Behr had been knocking around Texas for a year or two, but now he

ought to be lived- the embodiment of a socialistic society, free of religion, of slavery; a

was here to settle permanently. Ottmar was a couple of years older than Nicolaus Zink,

place where a college would rise and young men would see visions and old men dream

the son of a high official in the government of Anhalt-Cöthen, Germany, and was friends

their dreams. This, Nicolaus Zink thought, is my destiny in the New World, and I will

with many well-known people back in the Fatherland. People like Bettina von Armin,

grow it here in this valley of the twin sister creeks.

that liberal German activist for whom the failed socialist community of Bettina on the

He’d begun life in Bavaria, Germany, and had served as an officer in the Bavarian

banks of the Llano River had been named, and Hermann Spiess, leader of the famous

army and as a civil engineer in the Fatherland before he heard the siren song that so

Group of Forty noblemen’s immigration society in Germany.

many were hearing in Germany in the early 1840s, that seductive music luring them out

Ottmar von Behr himself was a naturalist and meteorologist, and had come to Texas

of the relative safety and comfort of their homeland and across the sea to new lives in

with the Adelsverein company. He heard about Zink’s Settlement in the valley of the

wide-open Texas. He and his wife were on board one of the first ships bringing colonists

Sister creeks, and late in the year, just a few months after Zink himself moved in, Ottmar

to found a new town in the Texas hill country, under the auspices of the Adelsverein, or

and his family became the second family to settle there, building their home on a bluff

Society of Nobles.

on the south bank of the Guadalupe River. Behr was enthusiastic on the subject of Ger-

The Adelsverein was sponsoring the colonists, and when they arrived in the Texas

mans emigrating to Texas, and had written a book for would-be colonists, Guter Rath für

port city of Indianola - just lately renamed Carlshafen in honor of the first commissioner,

Auswanderer nach den Vereinigten Staaten von Nordamerika, mit besonderer Berücksi-

general of the Society, Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels - lodging was supposed to have

chtigung von Texas (Good Advice for Immigrants to the United States with Special Ref-

been arranged for them as well as transportation from the coast inland to their destina-

erence to Texas), which was appearing in Germany around the same time Behr settled

tion. But that’s not what happened. Instead, they disembarked in an over-crowded and

in Zink’s Settlement. His name also showed up the following year, on a list of prominent

unprepared port city where there were no rooms nor houses and late arrivals were living

Texans who vouched for just about everything in Texas being good - land prices and the

in anything they could find, including huts and hovels they built themselves from flotsam

suitability of the land itself for farming, the climate, the friendliness of the Indians and

and jetsam washed up on the shore. Disease and death were raging among the swollen

so on. He went on to create a new breed of sheep by crossing German sheep that he’d

population, and the promised transportation to the interior just didn’t exist. Everything

brought with him from his homeland with a Mexican variety; to become justice of the

with wheels or hooves had been confiscated and pressed into service in the Mexican-

peace; to open a library in his home- possibly the first lending library in Texas!- and to

American War, and any contracts the Adelsverein had arranged for the emigres were in

run the post office in the town of Zink’s Settlement.

shambles. The Zinks were stuck on the Texas shore along with everybody on their ship,

Frederick Holekamp, with his wife Bettie and the first of their several children, was the

homeless, sick, and unable to escape their horrendous conditions.

third settler in town in 1848, buying fifty-five acres of land from Nicolaus Zink. He and

That’s when Nicolaus Zink first distinguished himself in his new country. He took on

his family had also been among the first wave of German emigres of the Adelsverein,

the task of organizing his fellow ex-pats and leading them out of Indianola/Carlshafen.

and had been in New Braunfels and Fredericksburg before joining the tiny colony. After

For four months, from December 1844 through March 1845, Zink met arriving colonists

only fourteen months of homesteading there, the Holekamps sold their holdings and

as they stepped off their ships and led them to the hill country using whatever came to

moved onto San Antonio before finally settling in Comfort, just about doing a complete

hand. They dragged pushcarts, walked, and loaded the odd wagon whenever chance

circuit of the German colonies in the hill country.

sent one in their path. On March 21, the Adelsverein colonists arrived at the new

Ernst Kapp was in New Braunfels in 1850 when he heard that the Holekamps were

townsite on the east bank of Comal Creek, and the first structure they built was a fort

selling their property at Zink’s Settlement, and he snapped it off the market and moved

for their shelter while more permanent homes were built; this they named Zinkenburg

to town. Kapp had also been born in Bavaria, educated at the University of Bonn where

after their hero Nicolaus Zink. The townspeople also named a street after Zink and gave

he received his doctorate, and had written books of history, geography and philosophy,

him land in the new township. Zink then proceeded to survey and lay out the new town

one of which got him a brief stint in prison in Germany. He was suspected of being

which of New Braunfels, also named after Prince Carl.

mixed up in the political dissent that had led to the thwarted German revolution of

Zink’s personal life wasn’t going quite as well as his public life though. He fell out of

1848, and his book advocating a more liberal government was the last straw.

favor with Prince Carl, why we don’t know, but we have a pretty good idea what went

After his release from prison, he and his family left Germany for Texas. Dr. Kapp, with

wrong between he and his wife Louise because it was recorded in court documents.

his wife Ida, now started over again from scratch. Having been a professor of cultural

NOVEMBER 2014

www.hillcountryexplore.com

geography in Germany, he now became a farmer, sheep

journalist, naturalist, abolitionist and landscape architect,

storm hit and the rainwater rushed into the house, ankle

raiser and carpenter. Oh, and he had opened a Hydro-

who stayed with Edward Degener and quoted him on his

deep, and the same citizens refused to stop singing,

pathic Clinic at Badenthal (natural spring valley) on his

sons: Degener “regretted that he could not give them all

climbed onto the table still holding their glasses of “stuff”

place in the settlement. Dr. Ernest Kapp’s Water-Cure

the advantages of education that he had himself had. But

and belting out, “This is a year of serious drouth/ I crave

included largely sitting in the cool, healing waters of the

he added that he would much rather educate them to be

for drink, it’s dry my mouth/ I would pour the beer in my

Sister Creeks, as well as gymnastic exercise. Ida Kapp

independent and self-reliant, able and willing to live by their

gulph (sic) at a waste/ The more that I drink, the better

said of her husband that he “has shown little desire for

own labor, than to ever have them feel themselves depen-

the taste.” He described the men setting out after a

physical labor when given a job to do, although for his

dent on the favor of others...he should be only thankful to

group of horse thieves wearing “either fine black broad-

years he shows a remarkable skill and untiring eagerness

the circumstances that exiled him [from Germany].”

cloth or white linen suits, which were not well-adapted

in cultivating a small plot in our garden, given him to till

Ottmar von Behr “seems to have been the intellectual

for fast riding in the woods in pursuit of Indians. Nearly

all by himself. However, he insists on doing it his own

anchor of Sisterdale.” Olmsted saw Behr interrupt his

one-half of the men wore spectacles and looked more

way absolutely, which leads me to believe that republican

work on a meteorological table to attend to his duties as

like a party of Sunday excursionists. Most of the men had

principles, the love of freedom, have already taken root

justice of the peace, deciding the value of a dog that had

not been trained to horseback riding in the old country, hence their appearance in the saddle was not very favor-

Distinguished intellectual visitors made sojourns to Sisterdale, including John R Bartlett, Duke Paul of Württemberg and Frederick Law Olmstead, writer, journalist, naturalist, abolitionist and landscape architect

able, and less safe for themselves was their hold on it.” “As learned as they were, as practically unfit as they proved to be in every operation in husbandry, theoretically they had everything worked out and it showed very nice on paper, their pleasant fictions were not yet sobered down by sad experience,” wrote that boy. And the sad experience would come. The bloody Civil War would come, and Sisterdale, staunchly anti-slavery, be-

in him.” Frederick Law Olmsted, landscape architect and

been shot in his precinct. Said Olmsted, “[Behr’s] house

came a center of Union sympathy and abolitionism, and

designer of New York’s Central Park, described Kapp as

was the very picture of good-nature, science and the

the Confederates came down hard on the Latin Colony.

“a professor who divides his time between his farm and

backwoods.” Romance and philosophies were piled in

Edward Degener was court-martialed and imprisoned

his library. The delicious brook water has been turned to

heaps in a corner of the logs. A dozen guns and rifles and

by the Confederate Army due to his unstinting devotion

account by him for the cure of disease, and his house is

a Madonna in oil, after Murillo, filled a blank on the wall.

to the United States cause, and after his release, he left

thrown open to patients.”

Deerskins covered the bed, clothes hung about upon

Sisterdale and went into the wholesale grocery business

Nor did Dr. Kapp abandon his political involvement

antlers, snakeskins were stretched to dry upon the bed-

in San Antonio.

with his move to Zink’s Settlement. In 1853, he was

stead, barometer, whisky, powderhorns and specimens of

When Texas was re-admitted to congress, Degener was

elected president of the Freier Verein (the Free Society),

Saxony wool occupied the table.” He also kept a harpsi-

elected as a Republican, and he served on the San Anto-

a group of German freethinkers who advocated for politi-

chord in his log cabin on the Guadalupe. A man writing

nio city council from 1872-1878. Degener died and was

cal, religious and social changes, and whose call for the

later in life of his youth in Sisterdale fondly remembered,

buried in that city in 1890. Ottmar von Behr, who made

abolition of slavery caused an uproar in the solid slave

“Mr. Behr’s place, which was always the center of amuse-

regular trips back to Germany, died there in 1856. His

state of Texas.

ment and hospitality on every occasion.”

widow stayed in Sisterdale with the Behr’s four children,

Nicolaus Zink, founder of the settlement in the dale

Another author, Moritz Tiling, describes the Latin

whose descendants were still living nearby until very re-

between the creeks, didn’t stay long in his city of light,

Colony of Sisterdale, “a library of the ancient and modern

cently. Dr. Kapp also returned to Germany due to illness,

despite having earned a reputation as a successful farmer

classics was to be found in almost every house, and the

and there he published two more books, Vergleichende

who got a good price for the wheat he sold to neighbor-

latest products of literature were eagerly read and dis-

allgemeine Erdkunde (General Comparative Geography),

ing army camps, and a good hand in combat with the

cussed at the weekly meetings of these gentlemen farm-

which is still available in Germany in modern editions,

Indians. In 1850, he sold his property and headed to

ers at the schoolhouse. It sometimes occurred at these

and Grundlinien einer Philosophie der Technik (Funda-

Fredericksburg after all, there to run a grist mill on Baron

meetings that Comanches stood listening gravely at the

mentals of a Philosophy of Technical Science), which

Creek before finally fetching up in Comfort, and then

open door, while one of the Latin farmers was lecturing

was based on his experience in farming and building in

Waring at the end of his life. A fellow Forty-Eighter of

on the socialistic theories of St Simon or Fourier.’”

Sisterdale. He died in 1896.

Dr. Kapp (a political dissident involved in the failed 1848

The citizens of Sisterdale even, in 1853, petitioned the

After the Civil War ended and the terrible period (for

revolution), Edward Degener, purchased Zink’s hold-

state congress for permission to found a German-English

Kendall County) of Reconstruction was over, Sisterdale

ings in the settlement. Degener was born in Brunswick,

college to be built in their town, but nothing ever came

had quieted down considerably. New immigrants from

Germany in 1809 and had held a high position in the

of that idea. Still, Olmsted wrote of “waltzing to the tones

Germany arrived, and the descendants of the original set-

government there, but was forced to abandon Germany

of a fine piano and music of the highest sort, classical and

tlers, having grown up in America, moved away from the

after the attempted coup. He was also an intellectual

patriotic,” while dining on wild turkey, of midday dinner

old ideals of the Latin Colony. In 1871, Andreas Langbein

and a freethinker, and with his arrival the tiny settlement

at the Behr home of ‘Texan cornbread and frijoles, with

bought the old Kapp property and quietly and solidly be-

seemed to undergo a seismic shift. Between Behr, Kapp

coffee served in tin cups...and the talk was worthy of

gan to farm his land, still owned by the Langbein family

and Degener, the place rose to the status of a true Latin

golden goblets.” They farmed by day, these gentlemen

five generations later.

community and a center of the freethinking movement. It

farmers of means, highly educated and committed to the

In 1884, the population was about one hundred and

also got a new name, courtesy of Ottmar von Behr. The

basic rights of man, to the radical ideas of religious skep-

fifty people, and there was a store in town (founded by

name of the village in the dale between the Sister creeks

ticism and agnosticism, to Darwinian evolution, women’s

Andreas Langbein), a shingle mill, a cotton gin and a

officially became Sisterdale, Texas.

suffrage and the abolition of slavery.

dance hall. Today the population is twenty-five, and Sis-

More Forty-Eighters arrived to settle in Sisterdale,

Their Latin colony of intellectualism was often filled

terdale, once Zink’s Settlement, once one of the famous

including journalist Dr. Carl Adolph Douai, Julius Dresel,

with Indians demanding food, appropriating the laundry

Latin Colonies, is a sleepy hamlet of farmers and a hand-

(who planted the first vineyards in town, which flourished

off the clotheslines, making away with horses and live-

ful of newcomers. But in its heyday, oh, in its heyday, the

for several years until they were destroyed by the Texas

stock, but they still gathered in the evenings to sing their

“stuff” flowed freely, the people of the town stood up to

red ant, and who would later move to Sonoma Valley,

native songs and to drink their “stuff,” to argue and de-

the Indians and the rains and the rising creeks, they ar-

California, where he became a noted winemaker), August

bate and discuss and to save the world. The man who’d

gued the fate of the world and stood up for the rights of

Siemering (who would go on to found the San Antonio

grown up in Sisterdale wrote about the Indians camping

all men, they made hay in the sunshine and grew grapes

Express News), Gustav Theissen and Edgar von Westpha-

in Behr’s yard, of a “squaw” captured in the woods who’d

in their vineyards and stayed up all night talking in Latin

len, (the Baron von Westphal, whose sister was married

escaped from her makeshift jail on the Zink place, of all

and singing in German, in their little harbor of culture and

to Karl Marx). Distinguished intellectual visitors made

the citizens of Sisterdale huddled together in one cabin

liberalism, in the valley of the twin sister creeks.

sojourns to Sisterdale, including John R Bartlett, Duke

in defense against the Indians. But he also wrote of a

Paul of Württemberg and Frederick Law Olmstead, writer,

“spree” at Ottmar Behr’s place, during which a thunder-

20 EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.

Become a MemberFitness of· Family Athletic Republic Boerne Fellowship Nov 1st - Jan 31st

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Perks of becoming an Athletic Republic Member

At Athletic Republic Boerne, we believe a gym membership is more than just a place to workout; it’s an environment where you can accomplish your goals, dream about new ones and receive support and encouragement along the way. It’s a place that can help you improve your health and your quality of life and where you can go to get in shape, relax or just have fun all in a comfortable, family-friendly environment.

• A family-friendly atmosphere that’s fun & inviting. • Access to a complete line of the latest fitness equipment • Unlimited access to our high quality small group classes • Access to our great Personal Trainers • Invitation to join a Boot Camp with a Purpose • Ability to become part of our Comprehensive Wellness Program- RPM • Loving and caring individuals who meet you where you are and help you get where you want to be.

Q UA L IFYING PATI ENTS MAY BE CO MP EN S ATED FOR TI ME AND TR AV EL KEEPING OUR COMMUNITY STRONG 1024 North Main St., Boerne, TX 78006 www.athleticrepublicboerne.com 830.816.5513

www.ttsresearch.com | (830) 249-3602 1420 River Road, Ste.100, Boerne, TX 78006 (Located across from the Kendall Co. Fairgrounds)

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NOVEMBER 2014

www.hillcountryexplore.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

22 EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.

Facility available for special events Call for details Guitar Workshops • Artist Performances String instrument rentals for students

109 Oak Park Dr. Boerne, Texas 78006

830-331-9840 Call today to reserve your lesson space

HAPPY HOUR!

4 - 7 PM

830-981-9011

30775 IH 10 West Boerne, TX 78006 Open Sun-Thurs 11-9; Fri-Sat 11-10

210-826-8303

2442 Nacogdoches San Antonio, TX 78217

Free 1/2 order of mushrooms with purchase of an entrée Dine In Only, Not To Be Used With Other Coupons Please Please use by 11/30/14

Open Sun-Thurs 11-9;

Adult Education

Water Quality Testing & Stream Team Training Saturday, November 15, 2014 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Calendar of Events

Location: CNC Auditorium at 140 City Park Road, Boerne How clean is the water in your community? You can find out and help contribute to a statewide volunteer effort to monitor water quality in creeks and lakes wherever you are. Join stream-team coordinator Donna Taylor to learn how to test water for conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH (acidity) and temperature, as well as make field observations regarding water flow, color, clarity and conditions. Suggested donation is $10. Be sure to bring a sack lunch!

Winter Sparrows & Wrens Workshop

Saturday, December 6, 2014 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Interpretation 101

Saturday, November 1, 2014 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Kids

Mother Nature's Storytime: Lovely Leaves! Tuesday, November 18, 2014 10:00 am - 11:00 am

Location: CNC Visitor Center at 140 City Park Road, Boerne Lovely Leaves! They are big and small and come in all diﬀerent shapes. Sometimes they change colors and fall on the ground. Join us as we look around at the unique leaves and maybe pick up a few to take home! For kids ages 3 - 6 and their caregivers. COST: $5.00 per family CO

Location: CNC Auditorium at 140 City Park Road, Boerne Do you want to become a great outdoor educator, tour guide or docent? Are you looking to captivate an audience and inspire them to appreciate and protect the natural world? Then join TPWD's Liz Palﬁni as she shares best practices in nature interpretation. COST: $25 members; $35 non-members (includes lunch). FREE for Outdoor Classroom Guides of the Cibolo Nature Center.

Moondance Concert: One Minute to Midnight Saturday November 15, 2014 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Events

Location: CNC Stage, 140 City Park Road, Boerne Join us for a Harvest Snuggle at the last Moondance Concert of the year! One Minute to Midnight is bringing its Rock, Blues, Jazz and Country sounds to the Hill Country. Everything from Cole to soul, from swing to Sting! Come and enjoy a great evening of music and dancing. COST: $7.50 members; $10.00 non-members. Kids under 12 are free.

Location: CNC Auditorium at 140 City Park Road, Boerne Come learn all about our wonderful little brown birds (LBBs) of winter. Experienced birders Tom and Patsy Inglet will review the numerous sparrows and wrens that can be seen in the grasslands of the Texas Hill Country. Attendees will learn the field identification points to distinguish savannah and vesper, grasshopper and LeConte's sparrows as well as marsh and house wrens, including subtle differences in patterning and flight patterns. This workshop is for intermediate birders who want to become more proficient at field identification of winter sparrows and wrens. COST: $15 members; $30 non-members. FREE to Winter Prairie Bird Survey CO Participants.

Second Saturday Volunteer Day of Service

Saturday, November 8, 2014 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Let’s join together to take care of our beautiful Cibolo Nature Center & Farm. Each workday will be diﬀerent. Call ahead for details (830) 249-4616. Kids are welcome accompanied by parents.

At the Herﬀ Farm Kids Club: HOT DOG THANKSGIVING AT THE FARM Saturday, November 8, 2014 10:00 am - 11:30 am

Every Saturday from 8:30am to 12:30pm 33 Herﬀ Road, Boerne TX 78006

NOVEMBER 2014

De Description: Come join us for food and funat the Herﬀ Homestead for our Fourth Annual Kid's Club Hot Dog Thanksgiving! We will be roasting hot dogs, making autumn wreathes, and S'MORES! For kids of all ages. No drop-oﬀs, please. COST: $5.00 per family.

www.hillcountryexplore.com

Junior Gardener's Club: BUGS! Saturday, November 22, 2014 10:00 am - 11:00 am

Does a crunchy cru grasshopper taco sound yummy? Bug fans say insects are not only tasty, they are also nutritious. Many are packed with protein, vitamins and minerals. Come ﬁnd out more about insects being good enough to eat and maybe try a few yourself! For kids of all ages. COST: FREE CO

MY TOWN

24 EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.

The Six-String Professor An Interview with Guitarist and Teacher Cy Torgerson of the Bohemian Guitar PLAYER

How long have you been in Boerne?

You can change a location but something I cannot

I have lived in the Boerne area since 1975. My wife and

change is time. There are only so many hours in a

If you didn’t have your businesses, what do you think you’d be doing?

I bought a home here in 1994. We opened our busi-

week. I am at the shop doing lessons after retail hours

Teaching, playing guitar, and collecting vintage guitars

ness here in 2001. So I’ve seen a lot of changes in the

as late as 9pm most nights. And no matter how tired

and equipment.

area in those years.

or busy, I go home and play a minimum of three hours every night in order to practice my craft and hone my

Give us a brief history of how the businesses came to be?

skills in order to maintain a level of proficiency.

What part(s) of the businesses are the most enjoyable? Least enjoyable?

UTSA and my wife saw our old location across from the

What about Boerne makes having your businesses easy/difficult?

library and told me “You’ve been playing guitar all of

Retail wise, finding your niche and if you have com-

teach them come together into a song. When their

your life. Why not combine your desire to teach with

petition, evolve. You can’t have 4 stores all doing the

faces light up the first time they hear themselves in a

your passion for guitars and open a music store and

same thing. In order to stay in business; we evolved

band situation accompanied by bass and drums. The

teach guitar?”

more into a conservatory, vs. retail, which is the direc-

recognition they get after playing a live performance

tion I wanted to go anyway. I am not really worried

and they go on to form bands or play solo acts. I love

What have been some obstacles you have run into with getting the businesses up and running?

about the competition in regards to instruction. We

it when they come back years later to visit me on the

all have different teaching styles and I believe there

holidays! There really is no down side when the scales

is room for all of us. I believe my reputation speaks

are balanced. The up side far outweighs the least

As with any obstacle, if you cannot change it, you have

for itself. I am one of the few teachers that actually

enjoyable part…paperwork!

to find the positive in it. YouTube for one. You have to

give handouts after every lesson. I donate the extra

learn to embrace technology like YouTube, but there is

time needed before every performance show to help

a caveat there; besides being able to watch the artists

students find the right songs, giving extra lessons, ar-

What are the long term plans for you?

themselves, many of the people “teaching” on YouTube

range vocal coaching and home rehearsals. The home

To continue teaching and playing guitar.

are not qualified professional musicians. You have to

rehearsals are important to teach the students about

find someone to show you what to look for and to build

equipment and what it is like to be in a band situation,

on that. Learning chords/chord theory, scales/scale the-

to be part of a team.

I was actually finishing my degree in Education at

The satisfaction I get seeing the kids blossom with a higher self esteem. The smiles when the parts I

What would you like to say to the Boerne community? In the last 14 years, I have taught over 1400 students

ory, techniques and, most importantly, ear training are the basis for playing guitar. There were not any music

Someone’s first performance can be very stressful and

of all ages. I want to thank the Boerne Community for

books on Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin or any of my other

can make or break someone. I would never set anyone

putting their trust and faith in me to teach their kids.

Idols back when I was learning guitar. The songs were

up to fail if I can help it. The rest is up to them. The

It’s been a pleasure!

learned by ear training and the help of a qualified guitar

easy part is the parents. They go above and beyond to

teacher to tell me what I was doing right and wrong.

support and encourage their kids to practice and be on time. I am grateful for that!

NOVEMBER 2014

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SPIRITUAL

LET GO AND LET GOD By Kendall D. Aaron :: kendall@hillcountryexplore.com

I have failed at various things in my life. Oh boy, have I failed. I have failed in historic and grand fashion. I’ve obviously survived these failures, but they also left quite the impact on me and my life. They are the events that require you to stop, dust yourself off, and carry on. But like most everyone, I’ve also spent a lot of time and energy beating myself up over these failures. And that’s too bad. I’ve had friends that have failed me. I’ve had family that has failed me. I’ve had co-workers that have failed me. And at the end of the day, if I still want these people in my life (and for the most part I do), I’m left with only one option: to forgive them. And while I’m successful at letting go of the past and moving on as it relates to others, I’m terrible at granting myself the same luxury of forgiveness. And why do we do that? Why do we not allow ourselves to fail, and when we do, why do we act like it’s front page news? Why do we think that we are so perfect that there will be news reporters standing on our lawn telling the world of the ground breaking news that we screwed up at work? It’s funny when you really stop to think about it. Why do we do it? Because we are jammed full of PRIDE. I’m so guilty of this, and if I would only

move beyond it, life would probably be so less difficult. We fail God all the time by our sin, and what does He do? He forgives us. He’s the best at it – not only does He forgive us, the Bible tells us He FORGETS the transgression. Can you forget your failures? Of course not – you can remember some boneheaded thing you did in high school, and here you are 30 years later still lamenting your foul up. And I’m really no different. But that PRIDE that we all are consumed with is really not fair to you, nor healthy to you. God forgives you, your friends forgive you, and yet you won’t forgive YOU. You stand around and kick yourself about how you are so stunned that you got something wrong. You get depressed and stomp around and spend weeks, years, and sometimes decades making sure that you feel miserable. I suppose that we need to be confident that we feel miserable ENOUGH before we finally decide that it’s time to move on. That doesn’t mean that we have forgiven ourselves, it just means that we are tired of feeling terrible. We have the capacity to forgive, because we give it to others. The arrogance in our refusal to grant ourselves forgiveness goes against God’s desires

for us. He wants us to be happy. He wants us to be able to mess up, learn a lesson, and move on. And guess what happens when you don’t follow God’s teachings? Yup – now you’ve messed up with God. Take this spring as a time to let go of your failures. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and you are accomplishing nothing by wasting the life God has blessed you with by driving yourself mad with regret and depression. Forgive yourself. If you’re having a hard time fully releasing the guilt, then give it to God. Tell Him that you can’t deal with it anymore and that you are going to let Him have the guilt. He’ll simply take the guilt and throw it in the trash (you think God has some sort of celestial trash can?) but you’ll feel better by releasing the pain. You are capable of errors, but don’t commit an even bigger error by fooling yourself that you are not.

28 EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.

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WINE

The Doctor’s Orders After developing an inovative heart stent, Dr. Julio Palmaz turned his passions to wine, building the world’s largest completely underground gravity flow winery. By Tom Geoghegan TGeoghegan@boernewineco.com

or those of us who remember watching that 60 Minutes segment titled the “French Paradox” on November 17th 1991, it was a true epiphany for the typical American lifestyle. We took our first serious look at moderate wine consumption actually being part of a healthy lifestyle, especially when combined with diet and exercise. Red wine consumption increased over 40% just that year as we jumped on the red wine band wagon, and we’ve never looked back. And from those early tentative suggestions that

there might be a link between red wine consumption and increased heart health, now 23 years later, the medical community is almost overwhelmingly supportive of this position, with an army of studies and clinical data to back them up. Several years previously, a young doctor was finishing up his residency training in diagnostic radiology in California at U.C. Davis. Born in Argentina, Dr. Julio Palmaz had come to the states in 1977 to further and complete his medical training. Shortly thereafter, he attended a conference in New Orleans and heard a presentation by Andreas Gruentzig, who had performed the first successful percutaneous coronary angioplasty. The insertion of a small balloon allowed the clogged artery increased blood flow and was an alternative

32 EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.

procedure to the current bypass surgery.

process to the bottom level when completed. The

The downside was when the balloon was removed;

fermentation dome at the top is 72 feet in diameter, and

almost half of the patients experienced the same clog-

54 feet tall, making it the world’s largest underground

ging. Dr. Palmaz put some initial ideas down on paper,

reinforced structure. The dome has a unique rotating

and over the next few years began to refine the idea

carousel which houses 24 stainless steel fermentation

and tinker with prototypes. In 1983, Dr. Stewart Reuter

tanks, one for each of the different vineyard blocks they

from the University of Texas Health Science Center at

source for their wines. The current winemaking team is

San Antonio (UTHSCSA) convinced Dr. Palmaz to come

Tina Mitchell and Mia Klein, who continue the traditions

to San Antonio, where he could practice medicine and

originally laid down by famed Cabernet winemaker

continue his developmental research. All this hard work

Randy Dunn.

paid off as he patented the original stainless steel stent

The main focus for the winery are their signature reds,

in 1985, and soon sold the licensing to Johnson and

primarily Cabernet based with small amounts of estate

Johnson. FDA approval came in 1991, and from there

grown Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petite Ver-

Dr. Palmaz never looked back.

dot. The Palmaz Cabernet is the namesake red, but they

His stent quickly captured 90% market share and is

also produce in select vintages a “Gaston” designation,

the preferred method (80%) of dealing with coronary in-

named for his son’s middle name. And in a nod to Henry

terventions and is now used in over 2 million procedures

Hagen, their second label Cabernet is named Cedar

each year. Recognized as one of the 10 patents that

Knoll. Their other offerings touch on the other family

changed the world for the last century, it has become an

members, the “Louise” Riesling for Christian’s wife, and

everyday part of the 21st century approach to cardiovas-

the “Florencia” Muscat Canelli for his daughter. The

cular medicine.

sentimental favorite is the “Amalia” Chardonnay. The

So when that segment of 60 minutes aired in 1991,

first side project for the winery was for Mrs. Palmaz who

Dr. Palmaz had just received early FDA approval for his

loved the reds, but had a soft spot for a well crafted

invention, and started on the path of fulfilling one of his

Chardonnay. As a wise man once said, “Happy wife,

lifelong dreams…establishing a winery in the California

happy life.” Nice to have a winery to back it up. Lastly

wine country. During those residency years at U.C. Davis

there is Gina, their Italian greyhound. You can’t have a

in northern California in the late 70s, he and his wife

truly state of the art winery if you don’t have a cool dog

Amalia would spend their weekends exploring the wine

to greet guests and chase critters.

country in their little white British sports car. Then living

And remember the little British sports car Dr. Palmaz

in San Antonio, they made frequent trips back to Napa,

used to explore the wine country with Amalia? When

looking for the perfect property.

we’re young, we all dream about moving up in the

Most of us are familiar with the term “fixer-upper”,

world, starting a family, maybe start a business, and

a true conundrum whether you’re looking at a home

if you’re a car guy, we dream of a very nice car. As Dr.

or a winery. Julio and Amalia discovered the old Henry

Palmaz puts it, “this time it was me that got a little car-

Hagen property.

ried away.”

Located in the Coombsville area at the south eastern

He had always admired the superb engineering that

end of the Napa valley in the Vaca mountain range, the

Dr. Ferdinand Porsche had put into his namesake cars

original site at the foot of Mount George was developed

from the beginning. Now Dr. Palmaz had the means to

by Bill Woodward from 1846 to 1876. Henry Hagen then purchased the property for his Cedar Knoll winery in 1878. He began producing wines that garnered high praise, including a silver medal at the Paris Exposition of 1889, sort of a precursor to the famous Judgment of Paris in 1976. The winery survived the phyloxeria infestation of the 1890s, but succumbed to the noble experiment we called Prohibition. The land would lay fallow for the next 86 years until discovered by the Palmazes. They purchased the property in 1997, with modest plans to extend the size of the original Hagen winery. But then they ran into the limitations imposed by the county planning commission, which seemed, on the surface, to limit their goal of expanding the old winery site. Initially stymied, Dr. Palmaz read through the ordi-

This is the world’s largest completely underground gravity flow winery, with the winemaking beginning at the top level, and then gently flowing through the process to the bottom level when completed.

nance and noted an interesting point. It covered exist-

now the most significant collection of racing Porsches outside of the Porsche Factory museum in StuttgartZuffenhausen, Germany. In his new winery, he incorporated plans to include an 8000 sq. ft. area to display his collection of over a dozen cars. Each of them has been meticulously restored to perfect running condition, and all were significant in the racing history of the Porsche factory. The crown jewel is the Model 917-023, which scored the first overall victory for Porsche in the 1970 running of the legendary 24 hours of Le Mans in France. Legend now has it that the good doctor actually outbid the factory to acquire what many consider the most significant racing Porsche ever built. At the end of some weeks, just every once in awhile,

ing above ground structures and mandated no expan-

Julio and Christian will roll out the legendary 917, fire

sion, but made no mention of anything underground.

buy a winery. Eight long years later, with numerous pub-

The site was on a mountain, and as he modified his

lic hearings and a price tag estimated in excess of 20

plans, he realized he could encompass his other two planning points, underground cellars and gravity flow, to add to his love of mountain grown fruit. But as Amalia

million dollars; they had completed their dream winery. Essentially, they hollowed out the mountain to build a complete winery that encompasses 5 levels and 100,000

then puts it, “We got carried away a bit.” Most folks in the wine country are familiar with the old axiom “How do you become a millionaire in the wine business?” and the answer is to start as a billionaire and

NOVEMBER 2014

back up his passion, and began to assemble what is

square feet that are the equivalent of an 18 story building. This is the world’s largest completely underground gravity flow winery, with the winemaking beginning at the top level, and then gently flowing through the

her up, and take a quick run up the Silverado Trail, just to check the timing and “clean the carbon” off of the 12 spark plugs, before doubling back for a glass of Palmaz Cabernet Sauvignon with the rest of the family. There they can honor the family mantra in the most delicious way I can think of; with a full glass from the namesake winery. Their mantra is a simple one, “Love the land. Know the grape. And make wine that honors both.” Thank you Dr. Palmaz and Salud!

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LIFE

By Paul Wilson

Every one of us has a picture in our head of what we’d

Unhappy people are generally those who live in the

like our life to look like. While it may be different for every

disappointment of how life didn’t turn out quite like they

person, each of us possesses some kind of a mental

imagined.

Happiness = Reality minus Expectations. Our expectations for how we think our lives should go

image of our ideal life. For most people, this picture is a

You see this a lot with family vacations. For months we

often determines the amount of fulfillment we are expe-

collage of ideas about personal fulfillment, financial pros-

anticipate getting away to some exotic destination. We’ve

riencing at any given moment. This can ruin an otherwise

perity, relational harmony, physical vitality, and vocational

planned for it extensively and paid for it dearly. Our excite-

wonderful life.

success.

ment is palpable as the day of our departure draws near.

Just take a look at the typical television commercial for

“We can’t wait to get there!”

Want to know what your expectations are? Just take a look at the picture of happiness inside of your head.

popular investment firms. They often portray the picture

“It’s going to be so wonderful.”

most Americans entertain in their head. You know, the

“We’ve wanted to do this for years.”

ones with air-brushed images of distinguished looking

“We are going to have such a great time.”

couples sniffing expensive wines at some picturesque

Upon our arrival, we immediately begin evaluating if, in

•

The picture of the house you want to own.

vineyard, leisurely gardening in the backyard of their

fact, the experience is anything like we imagined it. If it is,

•

The picture of the car you want to drive.

lovely beach house, or soaking naked in white clawfoot

we are beside ourselves with satisfaction. If it exceeds our

•

The picture of how you think your children should

bathtubs of hot water, overlooking the coast. Oh wait,

expectations, we gloat to our friends that we had a won-

wrong commercial on the tubs. Well, anyways, have you

derful vacation. However, if it fails to meet our expecta-

ever wondered where they come up with that stuff?

tions, we come home disappointed, determined to never

Their ad agency gets it from sitting down with prospec-

go back there ever again. Depending on how it turns out

tive Americans and asking them what the picture of the

determines what we post about our vacation on Face-

perfect life looks like inside their head. This mental picture

book. It’s either the humble brag or the caustic critique.

has an incredible influence on our sense of happiness.

I’m pretty sure those vacationers who spent a few extra

We track against it almost all of the time. It becomes our

days adrift on the Carnival Triumph in the Gulf of Mexico

template for contentment.

last year didn’t have that picture in mind when they de-

If we are enjoying a life that is similar to the picture in

nor a triumph. In other words, it didn’t go quite like they

the picture, we are elated! We use phrases like, “better

imagined. tern in many people’s experience of marriage? Careers?

thought that event should have gone.

Lifestyles? Relationships? Finances?

However, if our experience is far from what we imag-

behave. •

The picture of how you think your friends should include you.

•

The picture of how much money you wish was in your bank accounts.

•

The picture of how you think your day should go.

•

The picture of how you think your boss should reward you.

•

The picture of what you think your body should look like.

•

That picture of what you think your spouse’s body should look like.

Would you be surprised if I told you I see this same pat-

statements reveal that we had an idea in mind for how we In other words, we had expectations!

The picture of how you think your partner should treat you.

parted Galveston. Their experience was neither a carnival

our head, we are happy. If an experience is better than than I imagined” or “beyond my wildest dreams.” Both

•

We look forward to something for years only to be

Our picture of the ideal life has an enormous influence on our happiness. We see this with children all the time. When something

disappointed if it doesn’t turn out like we imagined. If

doesn’t go quite like they want, it can get pretty ugly with

ined, we are disappointed. That disappointment often

we are not careful, this disappointment can become a

the whining, crying and tantrums. While such behavior is

ends up looking like complaining, grouchy, critical, impa-

fog of negativity hanging over everything from that point

understandable when they’re four, it’s a bit of a problem

tient, and depressed. The list goes on and on, and it’s not

forward.

when they’re forty!

pretty. You know people like this. You might have even worn their shoes to work today.

I recently came across the following equation. I thought it was pretty wise.

For some people, their picture of what life should look like is very idealistic. Why is that these people’s mental

36 EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.

picture always looks like some bad hip-hop video? Inside

But that’s good news! If we possess the power to

•

Buying what you don’t need or can’t afford to boost

their head it’s raining dollar bills while they’re rolling in

choose, it is possible to make a different choice any time

their Bentley. It’s the naive stuff of fantasy and impossibility.

we want. It is possible to select a different course of action

•

Sleeping as a way to escape reality.

There is no way in the world life could ever be as perfect

if we are disappointed with the direction our life is headed.

•

Gambling to shirk financial discipline.

•

Listening to country music to deal with disappoint-

as some people imagine it.

Zig Ziglar, the great motivational mentor to so many,

These people are often easily disappointed.

often said, “You may have made some mistakes and you

For others, their picture of life is very realistic. Their

may not be where you want to be, but that has nothing to

expectations for themselves and others are reasonable.

do with your future.”

Even with big dreams and challenging goals, they’re able

I have come to the conclusion that the entire course

to create a life similar to the one they imagine with a little

of our life is determined by three fundamental activities:

bit of old fashioned diligence and discipline.

thinking, choosing, doing.

People who live with realistic expectations for their

Our thoughts influence our choices and our choices de-

your morale.

ment. Okay, maybe not that part about country music. I made that up. A few years ago, a couple sat in my office to discuss the mess they had made of their marriage. To say their relationship was on life support is an understatement.

life are generally very amiable. They’re enjoyable to be

termine our actions. No exceptions. Everything we make

Interestingly, as we talked about how they had grown so

around. They don’t drive such a hard bargain for them-

of our life is the result of what we think, what we choose,

far apart, they both shared vivid recollections about how

selves that the intensity of their expectations leave con-

and what we do.

wonderful their marriage could be at times. They told me

trails of stress in their wake. What they leave behind are

Our choices, then, become the catalysts to every move

gifts like positivity, smiles, hugs, hope and encouragement. So let me ask you, “What’s your picture of the ideal life?” If you have some time right now while you’re reading this, make a list of some of the images that are part of your picture of happiness. Be honest with yourself. Nobody is

story after story about when their marriage was amazing.

we make; the triggers we pull that propel us forward.

Even while they were preparing to file divorce papers, they

Choices are those places in the story of our life where

admitted to stretches of marital harmony. But after a week

the plot turns to the right or left; backwards or forwards.

or two together, their dreamy picture would melt into a

Choices determine if we become bitter or better.

nightmare…again.

Think about the choices you have made up to this point in your life.

going to see your work. When you’re finished, refill your

I recognized that, figuratively speaking, they wanted to live in Hawaii, but they kept taking the bus to Detroit. When it came to their marriage, they wanted to live in

coffee cup and come back to read the rest of the article.

•

How you chose to apply yourself in school.

paradise but kept taking the wrong route to get there.

(Take your time. I’ll wait.)

•

What college you chose to attend.

They were doing all the wrong things to nurture the kind

(Don’t mind me. I’ll just wait right over here.)

•

What branch of the military you chose to enter.

of companionship and intimacy they longed for in their

(Finished?)

•

What career path you chose to follow.

marriage.

•

Which friends you chose to hang around.

•

What habits you chose as patterns in your life.

things to save their marriage. First, they had to figure out

•

Which foods you chose to eat.

what they were doing when their marriage was amazing

•

Which person you chose to marry.

and do those things consistently. Second, they had to fig-

•

What mortgage you chose to assume.

ure out what kept complicating their relationship and stop

Some Serious Thinking About Being Happy Okay, are you ready to do some serious thinking about being happy? Are you willing to take an honest look at yourself and figure out why you might not be quite as

When it came right down to it, they only had to do two

doing those things.

happy with your life as you’d like to be?

What you are experiencing right now – personally,

Hang on. Make sure your seatbelt is securely fastened,

It’s no different for any of us.

physically, relationally, professionally and financially – is the

When it comes to the quality of your life, if you want to

your tray table is in the upright and locked position, and

result of choices you have made up to this moment in your

end up in paradise you will have to take the proper route

your luggage is secured in the overhead bin or under the

life.

to get there. And that comes back to choices. The choices

seat in front of you. The ride could get a bit bumpy as we

As a Life Coach, I am fascinated with human behavior.

may encounter some turbulence between the reader and

After years of observation, I have come to the conclusion

the writer over the next few moments. I am about to chal-

that human beings are remarkably predictable. We are

lenge a way of thinking many of us have used our entire

inclined to do the same things the same way all the time.

life.

we make have a profound influence on the course of our life. •

The routines of our life are where many of us find com-

It’s a tough pill to swallow, but you are exactly where you

your spouse always ends up in arguments, you can

fort, security and peace. As long as everything is going

are at this moment in your life because you chose to be

along as it normally does, we are happy. But mess with our

here.

routine and we can get really annoyed and aggravated.

If the pattern you have adopted for how you talk to choose a better approach.

•

If the food you are currently eating always ends up as extra pounds on your rear end, you can choose a

Oh sure, there are the explanations and excuses for why

I am not bashing routines. Many routines are important

your life is the way it is. You could cite some circumstances

to achieving greater efficiency and productivity in our life.

beyond your control. You can even blame others if you’d

However, some routines can become liabilities if we are

leave you with more month than money, you can

like. But the fact of the matter remains that at some point

not careful. It’s possible to develop some habits that hurt

choose a different strategy.

in your life you accepted or allowed whatever happened

us more than they help us.

in your past to determine your future. And that future has now become your present. And here you stand with the life you chose to have. Do you like what you see? Is this what you always wanted?

Unhealthy habits complicate our lives. Until we make the

currently using for your life is working perfectly for the results you are presently getting.

All of us know, some choices carry serious consequences without the luxury of first taking them for a spin. You have

always endure the ill effects of our poor habits.

to live with the repercussions of those choices for the rest

it. All we have to do is figure out the current pattern and

Let me let you in on a little secret: The strategy you are

If the financial habits you have adopted always

choice to replace them with more healthy patterns, we will If our behavior is so predictable, then we can change

Had you hoped for a whole lot better?

healthier diet. •

of your life. While you may not be able to change everything in your

choose to do it another way enough times that we develop

life, you can choose to make the best of a difficult situa-

a different pattern. Preferably, a better one.

tion. Just the attitude you choose in the midst of a trying

If you take the time to carefully watch your routines, you will find that almost every unhealthy behavior in your life is

situation can make all the difference in how you negotiate that experience.

•

That conversation you choose to avoid.

the result of a predictable pattern. As human beings, we

However, more times than not, the only explanation

•

That habit you choose to excuse.

generally dislike anything that makes us feel uncomfort-

for the state of our life is that we keep making the same

•

That lie you choose to believe.

able. Consequently, we are very quick to do whatever it

choices over and over again. My money back guarantee to

•

That credit card you choose to abuse.

takes to make negative feelings go away. Unfortunately,

you is this: if you quit making the same choices over and

•

That behavior you choose to permit.

some of the behaviors we resort to in order to get away

over again, things in your life will change. If they are bet-

•

That abuse you choose to endure.

from those uncomfortable feeling can be immature, irre-

ter choices, you will live a better life. If they are healthier

•

That decision you choose to postpone.

sponsible, and even destructive.

choices, you will live a healthier life. If they are wiser

•

That mistake you choose to defend.

•

That advice you choose to ignore.

behaviors. Do some things enough times and before you

•

That person you choose hate.

know it, you have an unhealthy habit, possibly even an

•

That fear you choose to allow.

addiction!

•

That addiction you choose to feed.

•

That dream you choose to neglect.

•

Drinking alcohol to numb emotional pain.

You can either choose to live you own life or you can

•

That attitude you choose to adopt.

•

Abusing drugs to insulate oneself from fear.

choose to let other people live it for you. Either way, what

•

Savoring nicotine to cope with stress.

becomes of your life will be up to you.

It’s a difficult truth to come to grips with when we are

•

Viewing pornography for sexual pleasure.

talking about our one and only life. We alone are respon-

•

Procrastinating on what needs to be done by troll-

Coping behaviors almost always become compulsive

Guaranteed!

So Whatcha’ Gonna’ Do? When it comes right down to it, you have two choices.

sible for the choices we make. Even when faced with what feels like insurmountable odds or oppressive control, we

What’s it going to be? The choice is yours.

ing social media. •

choose how we will respond when life throws us curveballs.

NOVEMBER 2014

choices, you will live a wiser life.

Eating as a means of comforting yourself when you feel upset.

www.hillcountryexplore.com

The Yoga House, located in Boerne, TX, offers beginner friendly yoga classes and workshops. Here at The Yoga House, there are no contracts, no memberships. We provide an environment free of marketing and sales reps – no hustling or hassling – just yoga and a growing community of yoga students who love to learn, practice and relax with others who love yoga and good company. Our house rule is simple, “keep yoga simple”. We offer restorative, challenging and fun yoga classes in an affordable way; in a basic space where the main focus of the space is yoga. Come try a class. No experience necessary.

Rachel Villanueva • (210) 625-0280 • 9417 Aqua Dr., Boerne, TX

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

38 EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.

203 Shadywood $234,500 Recently renovated 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home on .25 acres in the heart of Boerne and close to shopping and schools.

CALL 210.912.8221 FOR INFO

Bluebonnet Realty

COOKING

(This isn’t a Czech. It’s a duck. Czechs are much larger. Just so there’s no confusion) Boerne is a town founded by people of German and Czech descent. We thought it would be fun to provide the readers of EXPLORE with some cooking ideas from our resident expert on cuisine from that corner of the globe. Chef Dame Denise

Mazal of Little Gretel is continually putting out delicious dishes from her restaurant in town. Her Bavarian take on Thanksgiving will surely have your guests asking where you got such a simple, yet delicious recipe.

Chef Dame Denise Mazal Member of Czech Culinary Associations, WACS and LDEI • Honored by Best Chefs America BCA

Many thanks to the staff and chefs at Little Gretel for assisting with the production of this special section.

40 EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.

Ingredients: 1 duck weighing around 4.5 lbs 3-4 teaspoons caraway seeds salt to season Serves: 4

Recipe: Preheat the oven to 350F. Rinse the duck, coat with salt inside and out. Sprinkle with caraway seeds and place on the roasting tray. Pour a little water then roast on both sides for about 3 hours basting it every 30 minutes until golden brown. Skim the fat off the top of the juices in the bottom of the roasting tray. Pour in some hot water and boil for a short time, then pass through a sieve.

Side Dishes The ideal accompaniments to roast duck are bread or potato dumplings and white or red sauerkraut. Other alternatives include boiled potatoes and various salads.

NOVEMBER 2014

www.hillcountryexplore.com

D L O S 108 Northview Ln. $625,00

8.36 Acre gem in Boerne, TX. Custom 4/2.5 home located in Ranger Creek. Features include controlled entry to property, park-like setting, pool, outdoor speakers, and an outdoor porch.

437 Stone Creek $239,000

Totally renovated. New ceramic tile and laminate and carpeting throughout! Freshly painted in neutral colors. New stainless oven/range, dishwasher and fresh landscaping in front yard. Oversized back yard (lot size is 1/3 ac!) Room for swimming pool, garden, putting green!!! Close to walking trail and downtown Boerne. Reduced for quick sale!

203 Shadywood $234,500

Recently renovated 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home on .25 acres close to downtown Boerne, shopping and schools

318 Hoskins Trail â&#x20AC;˘ $549,000

Waterfront property in River Mountain Ranch with private river access! Custom 3/3.5 home built with views of the Guadalupe from the master bedroom, family room, and balcony. Outdoor balcony has surround sound speakers runs the length of the home with fireplace and surround sound speakers. Private road on the property going down to the river. 3.57 acres. MLS #1077562

angela@smvtexas.com www.boernetexashomes.com

ley

o cho

gel

C 210.912.8221 | P 830.816.2288 F 830.816.5903

Bluebonnet Realty

FITNESS

By Cathie De La Rosa I’m so glad you’re back with us this month, checking out what we’ve been up to in our fitness challenge. As you read this, our group has been hard at work for almost 60 days, kicking, screaming and crying... Well not really, but they’ve hopefully been learning a few things and dropping a couple of unnecessary pounds along the way, too. In a quick recap, one of the things we’re NOT doing in this process is a particular “diet”. Each person in my group is learning how to develop habits that lead to a lifestyle change. That is something they can continue on with, unlike a diet ending in a set time and then it’s “yay! back to the old way again.” This is a slow and steady process that, done consistently, will absolutely lead to long-term, permanent results. This is what I want for them and anyone else I work with.

STUART You are approximately 60 days into this fitness challenge. How have things gone so far? So far so good. My weight has fluctuated up and down a few pounds. However, my goal was to gain weight in muscle (to get jacked…remember?). I’m not sure I have gained weight as I had hoped, but I’m not sure my goals were realistic. But the silver lining is I am more toned than before. What is proving to be your biggest challenge? My diet. Not that my diet was bad before, but not a lot has changed in my diet to get the results I wanted. I still eat lots of fruit, grain, nuts, meat, veggies (sometimes), candy corn, etc. There is a quote from Thomas Jefferson (I think) which says, “If you want something you have never had, you must be willing to do something you have never done.” There is a part of me that thinks I may need to work on my diet or my selection of food to achieve the goals I’ve never been able to accomplish before. This food stuff is a challenge. In what areas have you seen the most improvement? I have never had the desire to work out. Ever. I have always loved playing basketball, kayaking, jogging, riding bikes, hiking, etc. Never has being active been a problem. However, I have never wanted to lift weights… well, I’ve never wanted to lift weights enough to actually lift weights. Now, I look forward to lifting weights. This is a very foreign idea to me. Has this proven to be harder or easier than you imagined? Both. Once a routine was established and I had a place to work out, it was easy. At the YMCA, I have a workout waiting for me that changes every time I go in. They show me how to properly use each station when I am unsure. All this makes it easy. In the same breath, it is hard. I have put in many hours working out to see results progressing slower than expected. I’m not discouraged but I’m not overly encouraged in the same breath. I have faith if I stick to the formula given to me (healthy eating + intentional workouts = getting jacked), my goals will be reached. What layers of accountability are in place for you? I have alarms and alerts on my phone to ensure I make it to my morning workouts (I’m not a morning person).

My friends and family are constantly bombarding me with questions on how it is going. There is the constant reminder in the back of my head that there are hundreds of local readers reading this article right now and I don’t want to disappoint. Then there is Cathie, who has been a constant encourager throughout this whole process. Is there an activity you thought you would not enjoy, that you are finding enjoyable? Like I said before, I have never been excited about lifting weights… which is why I always avoided doing it. I am a big fan of a routine. My routine now includes lifting weights regularly and I kind of look forward to it. Are you going to make it all the way through? Of course. I’m not a quitter. I am motivated to upgrade my “Madonna” arms.

ELIZABETH You are approximately 60 days into this fitness challenge. How have things gone so far? Things have gone better than I had imagined, actually. Improvements are happening and the areas in which I need to focus are clearer than when we first kicked off the challenge. I had one week that didn’t go quite as I would have liked, but I came back the next week even stronger. What is proving to be your biggest challenge? My biggest challenge seems to be adjusting the daily routine to get everything done since I’ve started being at the gym 4-5 days a week in addition to my running. As of this week, I have developed a plan that is working out for everyone in my family. We are a homeschool family with a schedule that has, for the most part, been the same for the past 5 years, so having this thrown into the craziness was somewhat stressful for a few weeks. The other biggest challenge is still that late night snacking. I’ve actually been able to resist, but the urge to grab a cookie or some popcorn and a soda is there...especially when I’m up past my bedtime watching shows on Netflix. In what areas have you seen the most improvement? I’ve seen the most improvement in my commitment to getting healthy and strong. I look forward to my group exercise classes and strength training, instead of dreading them because I feel much more capable of getting through the workouts. My clothing is starting to fit more

loosely, even my running pants. Slowly getting rid of these thunder thighs, maybe my jeans will last for longer than one season.... Has this proven to be harder or easier than you imagined? Overall, I don’t think it’s easier or harder than I imagined, but each day has its moments on both ends of the spectrum. Today, during a cycle class, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, I wanted to give up, I was tired and feeling a little guilty about staying longer at the gym than I had intended so I could do the class.....but it was easy to keep driving forward knowing that the people in my life know what my goals are, sharing in many of them and want to see me succeed. Having my muscles barely recovering from one workout and going in the next day is hard. Not making excuses to skip out is hard. Staying motivated can be hard some days. It’s so easy, though, to take in and embrace that amazing feeling at the end of a brutal workout knowing that “I” just did that.... What layers of accountability are in place for you? Accountability. With the publication of our challenge, it’s everywhere. I’m still running into people who have seen the article, seen my pictures and are looking forward to seeing how things turn out at the end of the 90 days. My kiddos, every day, ask if this is a gym day. My son was watching one of the group exercise classes and it’s a crazy, low impact high intensity class. I happened to just look up during one of the exercises to see him watching, looking totally shocked by what he later described as really “crazy and hard”. My family is watching and I can sense that they’re proud of my crazy efforts. The staff members of the YMCA are totally in my corner and I love that they are truly interested in helping me see this through to the end and beyond. Cathie keeps up with us throughout the week and with reporting to and meeting with her weekly on various things, she’s keeping me in line and on my toes. Is there an activity you thought you would not enjoy, that you are finding enjoyable? I really thought I was going to dislike the group exercise classes, feeling out of place or awkwardly learning how to “do” the classes. It is what I actually look forward to the most. Are you going to make it all the way through? You know it!v

44 EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.

LARA

RON

You are approximately 60 days into this fitness challenge. How have things gone so far? So far, so good! I am down pounds, inches, and have gained strength and confidence!

You are approximately 60 days into this fitness challenge. How have things gone so far? Things started great, then fizzled for two weeks because I got sick but I am back on track again.

What is proving to be your biggest challenge? Fitting in workouts. With kids, work, school, and volunteer activities, it has been hard to find the time to get in a good, serious, workout. I tried waiting until the kids were fed and getting ready for bed, but then I was exhausted. I tried getting there on my days off, but my days off from work are always filled with something. So I made a goal to do something three days a week at home and do two days a week walk/jog to prepare for a 5k. I meet that goal most weeks, fail some weeks, but never get down on myself and keep focus.

What is proving to be your biggest challenge? So far, it’s been tracking my food; particularly when I go to a restaurant and I don’t really know what’s in the food. I get frustrated with tracking and sometimes want to quit. I cannot seem to stop eating ice cream. My other challenge has been sickness. I was knocked out about three days with a cold. I got past it but the lingering chest congestion has made running a challenge. Otherwise, I feel good about where I am.

In what areas have you seen the most improvement? The scale! I know that at some point the pounds will stop coming off so easily, however it has been a great motivational tool. I also am able to run around more with the kids and not feel so winded. I can pull my pants and jeans off without unbuttoning them! Silly, I know, but that is huge to me! Clothes are fitting differently, looser, and that is an amazing feeling! Has this proven to be harder or easier than you imagined? I think it is exactly what I imagined! It is tough, and I knew it would be, but it is doable. It is not so hard that I get discouraged, but not so easy that I slack off.

In what areas have you seen the most improvement? Stamina. I can feel myself getting stronger and I am adding more running into my routine.

go to Dairy Queen and order a large Blizzard. Then observe the level of disappointment in the faces of the other patrons. Go to H.E.B and notice how everyone stares into your basket and silently wonders if the pizza pockets are for you or your kids. Is there an activity you thought you would not enjoy, that you are finding enjoyable? No, it all sucks. But have you seen my new new size 36 jeans? I think people are confused when they say exercise is fun. It isn’t. But it is rewarding. Exercise is a beat down. It hurts. I have to talk myself into it every morning. But I feel so accomplished when I do it. Maybe in another 30 days it will be fun. I don’t know. Does it matter if it’s fun? I want to be healthier, that’s what matters. Fun or not, I know what has to be done. Are you going to make it all the way through? Yes I will.

Has this proven to be harder or easier than you imagined? It is neither harder nor easier. It is exactly as tough as I knew it would be and I am glad for it. What layers of accountability are in place for you? If you want to know how many people read Explore, get published in the magazine stating a lofty goal. Then

What layers of accountability are in place for you? The magazine coming out with the photos has been huge! It’s funny but people have actually recognized me from there. I have been asked a few times if I am one if the fitness challenge gals. Is there an activity you thought you would not enjoy, that you are finding enjoyable? I am not running, yet, but I think I will like that. I have wanted to be a runner, but have never liked running. I have been following a 5k training program that has me out walking/jogging, and I really enjoy it! Are you going to make it all the way through? Heck yeah!

NOVEMBER 2014

What’s Ron’s secret for such a dramatic transformation? One gallon of Blue Bell per day and strict regimen of horse steroids. He has anger issues now as well as an uncontrollable craving for oats. But we’ll address that in another challenge.

www.hillcountryexplore.com

All new construction in Boerne is built upon a solid foundation of crushed hopes and dreams of a preserved small town. And Indian burial grounds.

Hey Old Timer – any thoughts toward the new Veteran’s Park?

another 12,000 people in town? Our only hope? The City

your labor, and you’re the ones currently raising children

won’t do it, but the only hope is to place a moratorium

that you should want to save this city for their benefit.

Actually, I think that it looks fantastic. Some of those

on new housing. We have substantial inventory of homes

names on the memorial were friends of mine, and I think

for sale, and yet we are just swinging hammers. It’s such a

that the new layout and design is far more focused and

simple concept – ensure that we preserve the very reason

hallowed. I know that there’s lot of folks out there that

we all moved here by controlling the growth. That’s it.

piss and moan anytime something “historic” is touched,

But your Mayor is out gladhanding developers, begging

but they should leave this one alone. Things occasion-

them to bring more cheap housing… So yeah, we’re

ally need to be “cleaned up”, and Veteran’s Park was a

doomed.

perfect example. The City did the right thing, too, by preserving the original memorial stone, and the new layout is extremely clean and respectful. Love it. Old Timer, some friends and I were talking about this, and everyone had a theory: What will Boerne look like in 15 years? Do you think the whole place falls apart, or do we manage to save it? What will it look like? Stone Oak. Without a doubt. As someone who has lived here for as long as I have, it pains me to say it, but truly, there’s very little hope. The City has allowed so many new homes, and our Mayor is actively campaigning for more, more, more of what he calls “affordable housing”, the strain on City Services will be the nail in the coffin. Have you seen all the new schools we’re having to build? Do you have any idea the pitiful state our sewer system is in? Water – where are we going to get it? By the City’s own testimony, we have somewhere between 7 and 12 years before we exceeded our wastewater capacity. Our streets…have you driven in town lately? What do you think those roads will look like with

Hey man – would you PLEASE run for Mayor? My family and I are always agreeing with what you say…we think you could do great!

Well, they knocked over the Bergmann Plumbing building – it’s just so sad to see these old historic buildings gone so fast. Wrong. This is where you dear citizens don’t understand “good growth”. Yeah, they knocked over the Bergmann Plumbing building. I get that it’s been a fixture in town for a zillion years, but you know what? It was time for it to go. Because I ask questions, I learned that the building was infested with asbestos and because of this alone, it needed to go. Secondly, it’s on what hopefully

You do realize the odds of me dying while in office

will be one of the most vibrant roads in town. You’ve

are pretty high, right? No, I’m not going to run, simply

got the wonderful Little Gretel on one end, then the

because I don’t have the gas. However, I will take this

Unicas building with a new wine bar, then the Dodging

moment to shake my finger at you people that send me

Duck, and then an asbestos riddled building made out

notes encouraging me to run for office.

of cinder block. It was time for it to go. Luckily, the land

You want me to run because I say what others won’t.

was bought by one of the wealthiest families in town,

I’m a crotchety old fart, so I don’t give a shit whose toes I

and they are looking at a variety of options to put on

step on, and I call a spade a spade. Then you guys send

the property: boutique hotel, wine bar, restaurant, etc…

me notes telling me how much you love that. So let me

Hopefully, when complete, it will add even more charac-

ask you this, Mr. and Mrs. Boerne Citizen: why not you?

ter to the River Road District, and pull some of the tourist

If you agree with me, then do something about it. Say it!

traffic off of Main Street. A win/win all the way around.

What are you afraid of? I’m not going to be the one to enact change, but the rest of you have no excuse. Run for City Council. Challenge “Mayor Mike” and boot him. Do SOMETHING. Quit writing me and saying “Right on Old Timer!”, and instead, get off your ass and take control of this situation. You’ll be the ones alive to enjoy the fruits of

46 EXPLORE it! LIVE IT! The REAL Kendall County.

KRISTA UPHAM

C a l l to day to d i sC uss yo u r r e a l estat e ne e ds 210-884-5276

krista @ texasranChesforsale . Com

M A R KET IN G R ES ID E N T I A L & RA N C H P RO P E RT IES IN T HE HIL L CO U N T RY

501 E. San antonio | BoErnE, tExaS 78006 830.249.9339 officE www.texasranchesforsale.com

COME JOIN US NOV. 7th, 8th & 9th for our

SANTA WILL BE HERE SO COME ON IN WITH YOUR KIDS AND PETS.

Celebrating 67 Years serving boerne 830-816-2042 | 437 S. MAIN, BOERNE TX www.flowershopboernetexas.com

NOVEMBER 2014