Explore - June 2009

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EXPLORE it! The REAL Kendall County.

Hacienda Style, Old World Decorating & Elegant Ranch Designs at Affordable Prices

3 1 3 0 0 I H - 1 0 W e s t ( e x i t 5 4 3 a c r o s s f r o m To y o t a ) • B o e r n e , Te x a s 7 8 0 0 6 Winner of the “Most Beautiful Display” Award at the 2009 San Antonio Alamodome Home & Garden Show Winner of the 2008 Summit Award for Interior Design ($725,000 and up category) Winner of “Best of the Best Furniture Store” Award in Kendall County Winner of the “Best Furnishings” Category at the Chateaux of the Dominion 2007 Parade of Homes

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June Issue Check out what’s inside this issue.

From the Publisher

Dearest EXPLORE reader, So, what do you think? I hope that you find this new layout and feel for EXPLORE as fantastic as I do. We spent a considerable amount of time analyzing our options for a new layout, and it was a difficult decision. EXPLORE is a very unique publication, and while we had options to change the publication to simply a “magazine”, we felt it didn’t quite reflect the uniqueness of EXPLORE. So, after much consideration, we settled on the piece that you’re holding in your hands. As I think back on some of the fun that we have had with EXPLORE, I can’t help but have a smile creep across my face. From the discussion with my wife on a trip to Houston when EXPLORE was really “born”, to the time I printed an issue with the wrong month along the bottom, we have had our share of adventures with this magazine. But far and away, my favorite part is being blessed with the opportunity to meet the many people we have met and featured within the pages. People say all the time, “Wow – the Hill Country is so pretty. Someday I’ll live here.” And they may. Or they may not. But those people that DO live here are here by choice. You live in San Antonio or Houston because you HAVE to, not because you want to. Those of us that have made the Hill Country our home have done so through our own free will, and oftentimes, at great sacrifice. We have long commutes, we don’t have a Target close by, and sometimes we must slow for crossing ducks. But when we roll into our driveways, we are truly HOME. That respect and appreciation for all that we have been blessed with was, and has always been, the inspiration and purpose for EXPLORE. Along with the changes in layout and design, we’ve had some changes within the offices. As of December of ’08, this magazine was a “oneman show”. I wrote every article, took every photo, and sold all of the advertising. I don’t say this to brag, because my stubbornness and desire to work myself to death is not commendable. As of this month, we have blossomed into a staff of 4 and have moved our offices over to South Plant, next door to Circle-H Signs. Our latest addition is Jeanna Goodrich who has jumped on board as our Associate Publisher. Caught up in the layoffs at the Express-News, Jeanna was looking for something different, and I’m confident she has certainly found “different”. She’s written several of the articles in this issue, and I hope you’ll drop her a line and let her know how she’s doing at [email protected]. I’ve found such joy in watching other people come on board and to have the same passion and energy for this publication as I have, and I hope that it shows in the quality of the magazine you’re reading. Our ever-popular Marjorie Hagy is back with another historical look at the Boerne area. Far and away, this article receives more feedback than any other. I wish I had such a lock-tight memory as Marjorie, so as to remember details from years ago like she can. We’ve also added a new feature by Steve Ramirez, as he takes a look at the outdoors, and the beauty, grandeur, and activities that it offers. Done in a most interesting way, I trust Steve’s features will become wildly popular as well. From there, we’ve got a stable of articles that I pray you find interesting, thoughtful, and informative. I hope you are loving the new look, that you learn something new, and maybe you even laugh a little. And then I hope you write me an email about it.

6: calendar of events 10: Behind the Mic

Back Porch Inspiration by Jeanna Goodrich

12: Art and culture

All Natural by Jeanna Goodrich by Lee Anne Keim

14: Where to eat Hill Country Relaxing

Boerne Grill | Daily Grind by Chris Jenkins

17: shopping - Accentric 18: What to wear - by Kristin Faris 21: boerne berges fest by Jeanna Goodrich 22: spiritual

When I’m Gone by Kendall Aaron

24: history



by Marjorie Hagy

28: different stuff

Public Art by Bill Zaner

30: nature

Hill Country Outdoors - Fly Fishing by Steve Ramirez Publisher Benjamin D. Schooley [email protected] associate Publisher Jeanna Goodrich [email protected] Creative Director Laura Kaples [email protected]

Smiling, Benjamin D. Schooley PS – I received no less than 50 emails concerning last month’s cover image. While many of you were certain that you knew the subjects of the photo, or had a great theory about who the young men were, I hate to burst your bubble…… I have no idea who they are. It was just a cool photo.

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OPERATIONS MANAGER Natalie Meadlin [email protected] advertising sales 210-507-5250 or [email protected]

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 2009 Schooley Media Ventures, 113 S. Plant, Suite F, Boerne, TX 78006

EXPLORE it! The REAL Kendall County.

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What’ s Goin’ on in June Get out and enjoy the great Texas Hill Country! The most comprehensive events calendar you’ll find anywhere. submissions – [email protected]

May 15 – June 14 KERRVILLE: American Watercolor Society 142nd International Exhibition Traveling Show. Features a collection of works from the 2009 International Exhibition, showcasing the world’s most highly respected artists. Kerr Arts & Cultural Center, 228 Earl Garrett. For more information please call (830) 895-2911 or visit www.kacckerville.com. May 21 – June 7 KERRVILLE: Kerrville Folk Festival. This Texas Hill Country based international songwriter’s festival features more than 100 songwriters and their bands. Includes concerts, arts & crafts, kid’s concerts, food and camping. Quiet Valley Ranch. For more information please call (830) 257-3600 or (800) 435-8429, or visit www.kerrvillefolkfestival.com. May 21 – June 28 KERRVILLE: Annual Kerr County Camp Exhibit. A reflection of area camp history featuring the 2009 Hall of Fame inductees. Kerr Arts & Cultural Center, 228 Earl Garrett. For more information please call (830) 895-2911 or visit www.kacckerrville.com. June 2, 16, 30 BOERNE: Abendkonzerte. Enjoy and evening concert with the Boerne Village Band. Bring your lawn chairs, blankets and coolers to Main Plaza to oompah to the beat of the longest continually playing German band outside of Germany! Main Plaza. For more information please call (830) 249-7277 or email [email protected]. June 2 – August 18 GRUENE: Two Ton Tuesdays. Features the popular rockabilly band Two Tons of Steel every Tuesday. Begins at 8:30 pm. Gruene Hall. For more information please call (830) 606-1281. June 3 – 7 KERRVILLE: Hill Country Acoustic Music Camp. Offers acoustic instruction with jam sessions and student and faculty concerts. Schreiner University, 2100 Memorial Blvd. For more information please call (830) 459-2120, email [email protected], or visit the website at www.hcamp.org. June 3, 10, 17, 24 BOERNE: Fernbrook Estate on Cibolo Creek. Alzheimer’s Association Support Group: for caregivers/ family of Alzheimer’s/Dementia Victims. Meetings every Wednesdays @ 6 – 7 pm, and Saturdays @ 1 – 2 pm. Catered meal for caregiver & patient at each meeting. Fernbrook is located at IH 10 W, Exit 538 before Ranger Creek Road. RSVP 48 prior required. For more information and directions or to RSVP please call 210-557-3045 or 830-249-3730.

June 5 – 7 NEW BRAUNFELS: Texandance International Film Festival. For more information please visit the website at www.texandance.com. June 5, 12, 19, 26 BANDERA: Twin Elm Ranch Rodeo. Begins at 8 pm. Includes calf scramble and mutton busting for kids. Twin Elm Ranch, Hwy. 470. For more information please call (830) 796-3628, email twinelm@ indian-creek.net or visit www.twinelmranch.com. June 5 – 6, 19 – 20, 26 – 27 NEW BRAUNFELS: Canyon Trail Chuck Wagon Supper & Cowboy Music Show. Hear the English Brothers-Western Music Artists perform “How the West was Sung” – a high energy, one hour western/ cowboy music show complete with yodeling, comedy and the best pickin’ around. This nostalgic show follows an authentic chuck wagon meal with all the fixin’s. Gates open at 6 pm. Call for reservations and for more information: (888) 408-7245 or (830) 626-8200. 1201 FM 2722. For additional information email [email protected]. June 6, 13, 20, 27 BANDERA: Cowboys on Main. A Western display occurs in front of the Bandera courthouse with strolling entertainers on Bandera’s Main Street. 1 – 4 pm. For more information please call (800) 364-3833, email [email protected] or visit the website at www.frontiertimesmuseum.com. BANDERA: BR Lightning Ranch Rodeo. Begins at 8 pm. Lightning Ranch, Hwy. 1283. For more information please call (830) 535-4979, email [email protected] or visit www.lightningranch.com. June 6 BANDERA: Market Day. This is an arts & crafts vendor fair. Bandera Courthouse Square. For more information please call (830) 796-4447 or visit the website at www.banderabusinessassociation.com. BOERNE: Boerne Adventure Fest. Features dozens of outdoor adventurous activities such as horseback riding, kayaking, canoeing, mountain biking, archery, fishing tournament, bungee trampoline, rock wall, live music, birds of prey demonstrations, live snakes, lizards and unusual critters, food and drink booths, and much more. Joshua Springs Park and Preserve. For more information please call (830) 249-7277. NEW BRAUNFELS: “The Grape Adventure or How Wine is Made”. Learn how grapes are planted, harvested and made into that luscious juice called wine. Pre-registration required. Dry Comal Creek Vineyards. For more information please call (830) 885-4076 or visit www.drycomalcreek.com.

June 4 – 7, 11 – 14, 18 – 20 KERRVILLE: “Little Women”. Playhouse 2000 presents a production based on Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel, which focuses on the March sisters. Spanning years, their family connection remains strong in the face of tragedies large and small. Cailloux Theater, 910 Main St. For more information please call (830) 895-2911 or visit www.caillouxtheater.com.

June 6 – 7 SPRING BRANCH: Texas Outdoor Family Workshop. Families learn the basic outdoor skills they will need to enjoy a great overnight camping experience. Includes camping and outdoor cooking, plus basic instruction on fishing skills, kayaking, and how to use a GPS unit on trail walks. Reservations required. Guadalupe River State Park. For Reservations and more information please call (512) 389-8903 or (830) 438-2656.

June 5 FREDERICKSBURG: First Friday Art Walk. Tour fine art galleries offering special events, refreshments and extended viewing hours. For more information please call (830) 990-8151, email [email protected] or visit www.fbgartgallery.com.

June 12 – 14 BLANCO: Blanco Lavender Festival. Includes vendors, artists, musicians, lavender farm tours, culinary arts, green growing/gardening and aromatherapy. Blanco Square. For more information please call (830) 833-5101 or visit www.blancolavenderfest.com.

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FREDERICKSBURG: Antique Tractor & Engine Club Show. Features engine displays, tractor pull and parade, working sawmill, wheat thrashing, blacksmithing, flea market, arts & crafts, and more. Gillespie County Fairgrounds, Hwy. 16 S. For more information please call (830) 997-3012, email [email protected] , or visit www.rustyiron.org. June 13 BLANCO: National Get Outdoors Day. Fishing with a Ranger, paddling classes, nature trail hikes and family area with activities and games will all be featured in the morning and early afternoon. 9 am – 2 pm. Blanco State Park. For more information please call (830) 833-4333. BOERNE: 2nd Saturday Art & Wine. The galleries of Boerne host joint openings from 5 – 8 pm. Come out and enjoy a glass of wine and the latest offerings on the Boerne Art Scene. BOERNE: Concert under the stars. Featuring Nobuko. Cibolo Nature Center. For more information please call (830) 249-4616. June 13 – 14 BOERNE: Market Days. Includes dozens of vendors from all over Texas with arts & crafts, antiques, collectibles, unusual items and great food. Main Plaza. For more information please call (830) 249-5530, (210) 844-8193 or visit www.mainstreetinboerne.com. June 13, 20, 27 BOERNE: Wings Over Boerne. Falconer John Karger and Last Chance Forever Bird of Prey Conservatory present Birds of Prey demonstrations. For more information please call (830) 249-7277. June 14 BOERNE: Noelle Hampton in concert. 2 pm; doors open at 1:30 pm. Cost is $12/person. Alamo Fiesta RV Resort located off IH 10 frontage road. For more information please call 210-373-5675 or visit the website at www.houseconcertshillcountry.com. GRUENE: Gospel Brunch with a Texas Twist. Serves awe-inspiring gospel music coupled with a mouthwatering buffet from 10:30 am – Noon. Gruene Hall. For more information please call (830) 629-5077 or (830) 606-1601, or visit www.gruenehall.com. KERRVILLE: Second Sunday Summer Serenade. Bring a picnic and chair, and enjoy a special performance by Sentimental Journey Orchestra. Begins at 7:30 pm. Louise Hays Park, off Thompson Drive. For more information please call (830) 895-2265 or visit the website at www.bankofthehills.com. June 16 BANDERA: Bandera Opry. 7 – 9 pm. Silver Sage Corral. For more information please call (830) 796-4969. June 18 – July 26 KERRVILLE: “Images”. Multimedia art exhibit features the best artists in the Hill Country. Kerr Arts & Cultural Center, 228 Earl Garrett. For more information please call (830) 895-2911, email [email protected] , or visit the website at www.kacckerrville.com. June 19 – 21 BANDERA: Old Bandera Downs Trade Days. Features 350 vendors. Grounds of the Old Bandera Downs Race Track. For more information please call (817) 832-9936 or visit www.banderadowns.com.

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More Stuff Goin’ On... Get out and enjoy the great Texas Hill Country! CONTINUED... BOERNE: Berges Fest Celebration & Parade. Annual celebration of German heritage. Features a parade, live entertainment, lawnmower races, weenie dog races, watermelon eating contest, carnival, mud volleyball, canoe races, lots of food and drinks. Kendall County Fairgrounds, 7 Hwy. 46 E. For more information please call (210) 347-2131, email [email protected] or visit www.bergesfest.com. FREDERICKSBURG: Trade Days. Shop more than 350 vendors in six barns. Enjoy live music and more. Hwy. 290 across from Wildseed Farms. For more information please call (830) 990-4900 or visit the website at www.fbgtradedays.com. June 20 BOERNE: Book signing and release party for Critical Care by Christian fiction author Candace Calvert. Includes refreshments and door prizes. 1 – 3 pm. A Servant’s Heart bookstore (patio of St. Helena’s Church), 410 North Main St. For more information please call (830) 249-8968 or (830) 249-3228, or visit the website at www.sthelenas-boerne.org.

June 20 – 21 GRUENE: Old Gruene Market Days. Nearly 100 vendors offer uniquely crafted items, collectibles and packaged Texas foods. 10 am – 5 pm. For more information please call (830) 832-1721 or visit the website at www.gruenemarketdays.com.

KERRVILLE: Kerr Market Day. More than 75 vendors from the Hill Country offer arts & crafts, woodwork items, metal craft, quilts, toys, native plants and produce, jams and jellies. Kerr County Courthouse Grounds, 700 Main Street. For more information please call (830) 895-7962, email [email protected], or visit the website at www.kerrmarketdays.org.

June 21 BLANCO: Father’s Day Fish. Fishing instructors will be on hand to teach, help and lend equipment. Begins at 9 am. Blanco State Park. For more information please call (830) 833-4333. June 27 BANDERA: RiverFest. Includes a barbeque cook-off, car show, arts & crafts, and children’s activities. Bandera City Park. For more information please call (830) 796-4447 or visit www.banderariverfest.com. FREDERICKSBURG: Roots Music Concert. Features rock ‘n roll. 6 – 10 pm. Pioneer Museum, 309 W. Main St. For more info. please call (830) 997-2835 or visit www.pioneermuseum.com.

We care.

Happy Father’s Day! As a Dad myself, June is one cool month. My oldest daughter is turning 6, the weather is finally warm enough to swim in the backyard pool, and Father’s Day is on the calendar. My appreciation for Father’s Day isn’t out of my own self interests, but rather for my own respect of Dads everywhere. From my experience, Dads for the most part aren’t ones that want the whole family to dote on us, bring us breakfast in bed, or bring us flowers. We don’t really even need presents. For me, I just want to have my family all over me. I want to wake to kisses from my daughter, play with my son, and get a big kiss from my wife. I want us all to go to the park, I want to watch the kids playing, and I want my wife to put her head on my shoulder. For most guys, Father’s Day is a day of “accomplishment”. Our families are our legacies, and the quality of that legacy is important to us. We don’t need new shoes, a new tool, or a new tie…what we REALLY need is to feel like we’re getting it right. I don’t know if that makes perfect sense to the fairer sex out there, but it’s the truth. Hug on your Dad this Father’s Day. Whether he’s 35 or 85, I assure you the best present you could give him is a big kiss, an “I love you” and a “Thanks for being my Dad”. And if you’re inclined, a power saw. I kid, I kid.

June 2009

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Back Porch

o i s t a In pir n By Jeanna Goodrich

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has found a, music in Europe, Carroll nic mo har nal asio occ the and guitar all over the world. mmediately apparent from his everyday himself touring places the into k loo ng usi am an er off sician ls are really fun,” slow, rich southern drawl, folk mu -songwriter “European festiva ger sin the of s nce erie exp s really lifie Carroll said, “because they and songwriter Adam Carroll exemp the into ry ina ord the ns tur ll rro ntry. himself. Ca sic; they the spirit of down-home, Texas cou ter appreciate this kind of mu rac cha h eac ing giv by ary rdin proud extrao ring is not always Born and raised in Texas, and a story. Love, really listen to it. Tou n ow her or his g son h eac in for the I don’t think I would resident of the San Marcos area , and humor a vacation, but wit ty, ain ert unc s, nes sad n ope atio have ever been able to go to Eur past ten years, Carroll finds the inspir raw and s riff ly vel gra p, dee own saturate the has toured for his songwriting right in his idly if I didn’t write songs.” He viv ry sto h eac ng ngi bri , tion named things produc across America as well, and backyard. “There are a lot of . life to Carroll little radio station here that are inspirational,” follow, one Atlanta and “this lly ura nat ht mig as d An re a ry are Kentucky” as some of his mo in said of his time in the Hill Count ple peo se the o wh r nde wo him. can’t help but I played in and the support structure around ut. memorable gigs. “When abo all are ries sto se the o wh other are, inisced, “a guy “Austin is really encouraging to real guy,” Kentucky,” Carroll rem y ver a s wa ol Err Mr. ell, “W supknife after one of the musicians, and the crowd is really Errol’s Song, gave me a pocket ing err ref d, ghe lau ll rro Ca wd e why, cro songs I played. I wasn’t really sur portive. The response from the ’ kin Loo um alb his on rd hea t rabbit’s de me which I firs and the great feedback has ma ll but I kept it as kind of a lucky rro Ca t,” fac “In or. Do een Scr the Out g].” my pocket during feel really good about [songwritin tty much foot, and I carry it in pre is g son at “th ed, tinu con Hill In fact, somebody in Though Carroll now calls the nce I actually all of my shows. erie exp rd -wo for rdwo a r, one Tyle Corpus gave me one too… maybe Country home, he grew up in ; ily’s fam my of nd frie a s wa ol songs had. Mr. Err have a collection!” Texas, where his interest in folk farmer in Louisiana, and day I’ll rice a s wa he into t go I en expand his tour began. “I was 20 or 21 wh he was a Carroll hopes to g, rkin wo ne do s wa he en wh eting because there are songwriting, because I started me him with my across America, t visi I’d de. gui ting hun t mer tha s places he still wants to see. His sum people who were into song writer a s wa It . ting hun k duc go ’d we ing in family, and the South, had a huge underground follow the tour will take him around h wit at, wh re— the out rld wo nt really differe Midwest, stopping Texas,” Carroll recalled. “I came to the drinking the East, and the and lics tho Ca the and s jun Ca g”— le Rock, Madison, and appreciate their style of songwritin ly a character. in places like Litt tain cer s wa ol Err and — over dt, Zan New York City. “I still want to get Robert Earl Keen, Townes Van !” too g, son the d like he “and And hey, experience and Guy Clark among the mix— his to California, and really n, Ma ne Co Sno the for as my But there,” he said. they influenced me to start writing al: “He the music scene out ion fict y irel ent is nce ste exi ing], day I will!” Yet luckily own songs. I saw them [perform n in a circus “Hopefully one ma a ng bei out d rte sta rd Texas hea for us Hill Country folk, Carroll’s listened to their record, and you , ich wh p— shi tion rela a h what dealing wit ntly touring their songs, and I could relate to ut in roots keep him freque —b us! circ a like t jus be can w, know kno t don’t have the they were singing about. I didn’t I realized around the area: “I jus ss, sne iou ser the all en we bet could I do to the if I was as good as them, but I in same connection there that he was a better as a character t tha he admitted. definitely relate!” ut snow cones.” places here,” abo g son s lou icu rid a htly slig Mr. Carroll, I have to played out by od as Carroll’s wit and humor, go “as te qui is ll rro Ca ee. agr dis oved characened the experiences of his bel them,” or better: if you’ve ever list of s, add to the inherent brilliance ter t tha w kno you gs, son ll’s to any of Carro he his songwriting skills. they’re genuinely unique. Though imagine, just great And, as one might the by ced uen infl n bee e hav y ma own stories, le he as his songs have their Texas songwriters, Carroll has a sty n. rroll has some stories of his ow Ca gs, son his of h Eac n. ow his can truly call folk With the rise in popularity of ic ust aco an by ply sim ied accompan

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a couple of Adam Carroll shows this 's area June. They w ill be worth every soulfu l, story-tellin g minute. Friday, June 5 at 8:30pm, at the Schr oeder Dance Hall in Goliad Featuring: Adam Carroll and Owen Te mple Tuesday, Jun e 9 at 7:0 at the Tave rn in the Gr 0pm, uene in New Braunfels. Live Radio Sh ow Featuring Ray Wylie Hu : bbard, Adam Carroll, and Owen Te mple Friday, June 12 at 4pm, at the Whit ewater Amph itheater in New Braun fels Featuring: Th e Randy Rog ers Band and a Songs wap with Ad am Ca Hal Ketchum, and Randy R rroll, ogers Thursday, Ju ne 18 at 8pm at The Venu , e at House o f Rock in Corpus Ch r is ti Featuring: Ad am Carroll a nd Michael O'Con nor

Cy Torgerson

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From Santa Fe to San Antonio, painter Judy Korge sheds her own light on life and art. by Jeanna Goodrich

“The outdoors is my canvas.” From a childhood in Santa Fe to a half-acre backyard in Hollywood Park, dreamer-turned-drafter-turned professional artist Judy Korge finds her true inspiration in the beauty of nature. “As a kid,” Korge said, “my family spent a lot of time camping in the summers. My parents knew I was a wild child, and they would let my twin sister and I run up and down the river all day. We’d be gone for hours. She and I would play with nature, and with animals—and sometimes I’d even sneak home little frogs in my pockets. We’d lose ourselves in the outdoors, and it fueled my passion for creativity. In the back of my head, I knew I wanted to be an artist, and the environment around me became my canvas.” Step into Korge’s backyard, and you’ll realize how passionate she truly is: a sheer canopy covers a wooden deck surrounded on all sides by verdant greens and vivid flowers. An easel on wheels and a rolling cart—“My husband put everything on wheels for me, so I could move my studio around the backyard,” she said—sits under alternating slits of sunlight and shade. “My first ‘art’ projects happened when my sister and I would sit on the floor by the window and make paper dolls. We’d even make outfits for them! Both of us just had a wonderful time creating, and my parents acknowledged and encouraged our artistic abilities,” Korge said. “Instead of making me walk straight home after school, they let me walk around downtown and admire all of the galleries and artists in Santa Fe.” Korge smiled as she remembered these little adventures. “One afternoon, I met an artist who gave me a clayboard. He told me, ‘Take this home, draw on this, and bring me back some of your artwork. My whole family encouraged me to do the drawings, but I was too scared,” Korge admitted, “and I never took them back.” The third of ten children— with her twin sister older by just seven minutes—Korge grew up in a big, busy household and was close to her extended family, too. “I felt so blessed to have my friends and family as a support structure,” Korge said, describing how her relationships helped her through every doubt and insecurity she had about becoming a professional artist. “Though it may not be from my immediate family,” Korge added, “my artistic

ability is definitely a passed-down, DNA thing: so many people in my family are artists, and it’s wonderful to have their support as well!” At age 17, Korge began a family of her own. “I had two children, one at 17 and one at 18,” Korge said. “It wasn’t easy being a young mother, but it kept me inspired. They helped me get out of Santa Fe and into college in Albuquerque. And even though I was going to college during the day and working at night, my children and I spent a lot of time together: I loved to play, and I loved to have fun, and they helped direct my life in a really positive way.” As a student at the Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute, Korge vowed to find an outlet for her artistic ability—even if it was behind a drafting table. “Without any official art classes offered at school,” Korge said, “the only option I had was drafting for an electrical engineering firm.” Yet the strict, rigid, monochrome lines of the drafting table didn’t really match the flowing, natural elegance of the bright-green backyard where we sat discussing her life. “I didn’t love [drafting],” Korge admitted, “but it taught me so much about making mistakes, learning how to correct those mistakes, and being painstakingly detail-oriented. It was definitely a learning experience.” Still, the little voice in the back of Korge’s head kept pushing her to pursue her dream of becoming a professional artist. “The older I got, the more passionate I became about wanting to paint and draw,” Korge reflected, “so I decided to start acknowledging how important it was to me.” Freshly inspired by her children and a remarriage, Korge packed her family up and moved to the rural community of Wellington, Kansas, where she hoped to expand upon her ambition. Yet after about a decade plus a year in Chicago, Korge still wasn’t where she wanted to be as an artist. “The most exciting part of Wellington was when they opened the bag-your-own-groceries lines in Wichita. My kids and I would make the 45-minute drive just to go grocery shopping,” Korge remembered. “And Chicago was too harsh. The winters were too long; there wasn’t nearly enough summer for me. I knew I needed another change.” Fate stepped in when Korge’s husband was on a business trip in San Antonio. “He called me and said, ‘I have the most wonderful place that you will absolutely love,’ and a year later he got a job transfer here,” Korge said. “I knew, I just knew. I had been putting it off for way too long—this was the place to begin my journey as a professional artist.” Korge enrolled in art classes at St. Phillip’s College—she insisted, “I wanted to prove to myself that I could be a good student of the arts”— and met and assisted art teachers and students prominent in the area. “In 1992,” she remembers, “I met Janice Yow Hindes, who, to this day, is my friend and mentor. I began taking a drawing class at the Coppini Academy of Fine Arts, where Janice encouraged me to make art work for me.” Before long, she was getting her pieces into shows and selling them, and eventually she was the recipient of the “Artist of the Year” medal at Coppini. “I was loving all the rewards I was getting for my art,” Korge said, “but the best rewards were the intrinsic ones. I was going to class once a week, and I was painting every day. I set a goal for myself to paint every day for five years, and—“Korge paused, looking at the brightly colored, hand-made “medal of honor” that hung from her shirt—“and in April, I had my five-year anniversary. My friend, Nancy, gave me this medal, to commemorate my special day.” Even after five years of painting, Korge still dabbles her paintbrush in different media. “I love watercolor, because I almost have to let the paint do whatever it wants. But I also love oil painting, because I can be so detailed, so precise, and so accurate. I’ve done graphite drawings, and I’ve used acrylics. I always want to learn more, to better myself.” But a common element links all of Korge’s artwork together: “I love contrast. I love shadows. But most of all, I love painting light. And you have to get the shadows right to get the light to shine.” And does it ever: Korge’s works, both in her home and at the Carriage House Gallery in Boerne, pop with an iridescent, bright, almost tangible light. As a portrait artist, light sparkles in the eyes of her figures; as a still life artist, each object shines with warm intensity. Her current project? “Moody Judy,” a collection of small self-portraits on the same canvas. She even hopes to be able to complete a full portrait in under 45 minutes, a true test of her knowledge of values and shapes. Korge is an expert in values, colors, and contrasts, making her art exemplary of the word. With an extensive knowledge of color composition—while we were talking, she mixed a daub of paint to the exact color of the purple flower right behind me—she offers a life-like rendition of the beauty around her, while adding a unique, down-to-earth naturalism. The light she paints shines through passionately in the light in her smile. She admits, however, that the journey wasn’t always a walk in the park. “I discovered I had a hidden ‘meanie’ inside of me that was telling me, ‘You can’t do this; you’re not good enough,’” Korge said. “But I overcame it, because I have really good friends and family that support my dreams.” And after a slight pause, Korge added, “Not everyone is able to let their creativity shine, you know. I believe that everyone has a creative side to them, but a lot of it is hidden when we become adults. Just because you don’t paint or draw does not mean you’re not creative. I’ve seen incredible brick layers—that’s an art!” Yet Korge certainly brought her art through these issues to make it the powerful, intricate work that it is today. “After periods of doubt and uncertainty, I figured out that I just had to reunite with that creative person inside of me. Reunite… and re-ignite.” Yet after a debilitating car accident in 2006, Korge worried that she may not be able to pick up her art career where she left off. “I tried for three solid years to go back to who I was before the accident. After one, then two, then three years, I realized: I can’t be that person; I can’t live in the past. I have to live for now. Because now is what matters.”

Her current project, “Moody Judy,” is a collection of self-portraits Korge is beginning to paint, a portrait per day.

Korge is also in the process of painting a song. “Just stand here and listen, listen to the art in these words and this music,” she said. Sure enough, the music and the painting fit together perfectly. “It’s not done yet,” she said, and the photo above is just a piece of the larger, intricate picture.

“When I get tired or frustrated, I take my paintbrush and a glass of iced-tea—or a glass of wine—to my hammock,” Korge said. “Sometimes, I just need to relax.”

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The old-fashioned coffee shop is the great “gathering place” in Small Town, America. It has a unifying quality about it, where there are no strangers. Over a strong cup of java, more of America’s problems have been solved via some lively debate, if only the politicians would listen. It’s an extension of “home”, a comfortable place in an otherwise frantic world. We have Starbucks on every corner, including one in little ol’ Boerne, but once the coffee is purchased, few people stick around for the conversation. Heck, it’s pretty hard to have a conversation over a cup of coffee in the drive-thru. And perhaps that’s why I love the Boerne Grill. We have other options in town to have a cup of coffee, but the pomp and production of it all is just too much. A true measure of a great coffee shop is the one that captures the visitors, but more importantly, is the hangout of the locals. I have talked with the Mayor, just about every city council member, and even the Sheriff while watching the world go by at the Boerne Grill. With coffee gently steaming in front of me, life just seems simpler, and problems far less complex. Situated right in the heart of Boerne’s Historic Shopping District, the Boerne Grill has always

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been poised for success. Under the watchful eye of owner Stuart Perlitz, the Boerne Grill has set the standard for not only coffee, but tremendous lunch items since its opening. Perlitz has designed an eatery that is comfortable, laidback, and welcoming. With no hostess, patrons simply find their favorite chair or table and settle in. It is not rare to see business folks set up their laptops and spend the entire day hunkered down in the recliners by the fireplace, or at a table in the corner. There is no expectation that once your coffee has been enjoyed, you must leave. In fact, that is one of the larger draws for the Boerne Grill – enjoy yourself for as long as you want. Once the lunch hour approaches, the Boerne Grill really sets itself apart from some other local options. Featuring a simple menu of sandwiches, soups, and light dishes, Perlitz creates options that are the perfect lunch options, and does so in fantastic fashion. On my latest visit to the Boerne Grill, I ordered the Turkey Bacon Melt, which was fantastic. Served on a toasted bun, featuring the curious addition of avocados which were tremendous, and adorned with chips, the sandwich rivaled my all-time favorite “Brainstorm” from

Bumdoodler’s. The portion size is perfect, leaving you not completely stuffed, which is my only “complaint” with my Brainstorm. Lastly, the Boerne Grill offers a nice dessert menu, complete with homemade pastries and treats. Following your lunch, or for a 3pm sugar fix, Perlitz has you covered with decadent options that will happily destroy your diet. Should the inclination strike you late in the day, the Boerne Grill also houses quite an elaborate selection of wines and beers. Featuring wines that are mostly unavailable elsewhere, Perlitz has put together a fantastic offering of wines and beers that will create the perfect ending to your day. Many of the beers are from local microbreweries, so the options are certainly different and flavorful. And who doesn’t enjoy sitting in a comfy chair, overlooking Main Street, America, while sipping a Texas microbrew? Chris Jenkins appreciates fine food, cleanly presented, good wine, and even better friends. Jenkins is a Hill Country native, with over 30 years experience sampling dishes from El Paso to Houston, and all points in between. If you have a suggestion for a review, shoot Chris an email at [email protected].

EXPLORE it! The REAL Kendall County.

Good Pub Grub!

Full menu available from 11 am to 10 pm. Popular items include :

Hot Wings • Beer Battered Mushrooms • Loaded Nachos English Banger on a Stick • Classic Burger & Fries

...Plus a variety of salads, enchiladas and steak sandwiches

Beer & Spirits

Darts & Pool 12 Beers on Tap Live Music - Saturday Nights Karaoke - Wednesday Nights Daily Lunch Specials Executive Chef - Jim Barajas of Casbeer’s!

Tuesday Jack Daniels $3.00 Fat Tire $3.00 Wednesday Titos $3.00 Shiner Bock $3.00 Thursday Bacardi $3.00 All Mexican Beer $3.00

9091 Fair Oaks Pkwy. Boerne, TX 78015 (210) 698-7310

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Never a cover charge here, though patrons must be at least 21.

June 2009

Monday Heineken$3.00 Absolute & Flavors $3.00

Friday Happy Hour 11 am - 8 pm Saturday Crown Royal $3.00 Bass Ale $3.00 Sunday Domestic Pints $2.50 Happy Hour 11 am - 2 am

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Sourdough Breakfast Sandwiches Low-Carb Wraps Migas Plate — the one you’ve heard about! Breakfast Tacos Quiche & Fruit Plate

Ancho Chicken Quesadillas Jalapeno Bacon Cheese Fries Grilled Portabella & Pecan Salad Thai Chicken Salad Reuben — best in town! Bacon Cheesesteak Hoagie The Ultimate Philly Knockwurst Hoagie Classic BLT Chicken Salad & Tuna Salad

Premium Coffee & Espresso Fruit Tea Blasts Root Beer Floats Blended Chai & Blended Green Tea Smoothies & Granitas Beers and Wines by availability

Baked goods made from scratch every day!

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We make our own ice cream, from milk, sugar, and eggs!

The Dodging Duck Restaurant & Brewery featuring an eclectic wine list and delicious,

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food Open Daily at 11am Sun-Thurs ‘til 9pm * Fri-Sat ‘til 10pm 402 River Road Boerne, Texas (4 blocks from Main St.)

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Music Of The Spheres Chimes

(known as the Rolls Royce of chimes; manufactured in Texas)

*Pricing is according to size Accentric lives up to its name: with eclectic, unique, and sometimes unusual oddities, Accentric offers a beautiful array of designer items—from candles to clocks to couches—for every collector.

Hair On Hide Chair $925.

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Austin Ranch Pecos Chair Julia Knight Clam Shell

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What to Wear?

By Kristen Faris Ok….so we’ve all been there….standing helpless and half asleep in your closet as you contemplate in your head those three little words…. “What to wear?” As you scan over the collage of colors and textures you find yourself reminiscing the days when you were a few pounds lighter and everything seemed to fit just right! Regardless, you continue to torture yourself by trying almost everything on you own, only to glance at your clock and discover……YOU’RE LATE!! You bolt out the door scolding yourself for not making time for your morning coffee fix and scribble three simple words in your planner…… MUST GO SHOPPING!!

Item 1: The “Little Black Dress” This is a fashion must-have and isn’t just something you will wear once. When shopping for your “little black dress”, you will want to find something that is appropriate for several different occasions. Avoid anything that is too formal or over revealing. Think Audrey Hepburn…not Marilyn Monroe…hehe. It is important to find a happy medium that can be easily be accessorized to create a different look each time you wear it. Remember, it is okay to splurge a little; a good quality black dress will wear well and be worn time and time again. Item 2: The Perfect Jean Dark denim washes with a slight boot cut or flare are found to be the most universally flattering. Avoid over- distressed, embroidery, or jewels which can often limit the overall versatility of the jean and wardrobe possibilities. The 80’s trend is definitely not for everyone….or should I say no one! I recommend a deep blue wash with a slight stretch (2 or 3% Lycra) for comfort and fit. Pair with red stilettos for a night out on the town or a stylish flat for a classic day look.

Sound familiar? Well, hopefully after reading this article your dreadful days of raiding your closet will be over and skipping your morning coffee fix will be a thing of the past! The key to finding wardrobe bliss is finding the foundation of your wardrobe. These “staples” or key items in your closet are versatile, timeless pieces that can be paired with the must-have-items of the season to create the perfect polished look. Remember, fit is everything! Don’t be afraid to spend a little more money on these key pieces, after all these are the building blocks of your attire. Begin building your wardrobe around these top 5 foundation pieces.

Item 3: Classic-Button Down Three words…..Clean, crisp, and simple. This classic piece comes in a variety of colors and styles with each season. Focus on the lines created and find a fit that is most flattering to your body type. I recommend longer tailored looks that can be cinched with a trendy belt to update your look. Item 4: Trench Coat The trench is the perfect staple to any wardrobe. A classic color such as a black, white, or chocolate can easily be mixed and matched to create a polished look. Accessorize with timeless diamond studs or a fun, fresh scarf in the hottest colors of the season. Item 5: The Handbag Both vital and classic, a simple matte leather handbag with minimal hardware never goes out of style! You can find a great steal at T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and Ross without breaking the bank or re-financing your home. Ha! So….start building and stop sulking on the couch with the pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice-cream…you know you’ve done it! This is the time to re-create the perfect wardrobe and avoid those stressful mornings of asking yourself…. “What to wear?” Good luck and happy shopping, Kristen Faris Kristen Marie Faris....I grew up in Boerne and graduated from Boerne High School in 2002 and went on to Texas Tech University where I would later graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design and Manufacturing in 2006. My senior year in college I had an amazing opportunity to intern with Esquire Magazine/Hearst Corporation in New York City where I assisted within the fashion department. I recently moved from Dallas to pursue a career within retail here in Boerne and look forward to one day having my own clothing line or boutique.

Thanks Mom! By Allison Smoot

What is a mother? For me, it’s hugs and an “I love you” from my sweet little boys. There is nothing in the world that can compare to the way you feel when your child hugs and kisses you. As a first time mom, I would say, “I love him so much it makes my heart hurt.” Being a mom is, at times, tough. I can remember as a child my mom working so hard. She worked nights at the hospital so during the days she could be with my brother, sister and I. She never put us in day care. I don’t know how she went for all of those years with no sleep! Now, as an adult, I have a real appreciation for this. The early years are the most important. My mom was an RN by the age of 21. She had a less than picture-perfect childhood. She had to practically raise her younger brother and three younger sisters. She worked hard right out of high school to obtain her nursing degree. She knew she would be able to provide for her family by becoming a nurse. She always said she wanted to provide more for my brother, sister and I than what she was given. For instance, one Christmas all I wanted was a really expensive purse. All of the kids at school had them. She picked up an extra shift so she could by me that purse. She never had a purse that cost that much or would ever buy herself something like that. I still have that purse. I can remember one Thanksgiving: before my mom went to work the night shift at the hospital, she put the turkey in the oven so it would be ready the next day. When she got home the next morning she had forgot to turn on the stove. That turkey sat in the oven all night. I think we ended up eating fajitas—by the way, they ended up burnt. She was always so thoughtful. It seems like she worked every holiday. Every Easter she would hide the Easter eggs before she left for work. As I got older she let me hide them for my younger brother and sister. It’s funny: I always wanted to be in the medical field. I ended up being a registered nurse, just like my mom. Now, all these years later, I have not gone far. My

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mom and I own a home health company together. We spend a lot of time together. Our business, All County Home Care, is not only a working environment, but also a family environment. I bring both of my boys to the office. My mom is around her grandchildren every day, building those bonds and memories that are so important. My sister is also a nurse, and she works with us. We are a family business. Nursing is a profession that requires a lot of heart. You have to truly love people and being around people. Caring for someone is a labor of love. As a nurse, you always put the patient first. Nurses are the patients’ advocates. There really is something special that happens when you can care for and nurture a patient. There have been many times when I have spent time explaining a diagnosis to a patient that in the past the patient did not understand. Since I took the time and really explained the diagnosis, the patient truly understood it. I know that the patients will be able to better care for themselves for the rest of their lives. This gives me a real sense that I have helped them and possibly changed their lives. Of course, as nurses, we take care of a lot of moms. It’s really full-circle. From beginning of life to the end of life, women are the caregivers to your own family and, many times, other people’s families as well. As for us, we pride ourselves in taking care of people how we would like our family to be treated. Many times the elderly are alone and without family close by. When we go in to a home and build a relationship with our patients, we become family. We not only take care of their physical needs, but also their emotional needs. One of our patients’ daughters recently said, “Now that my mom is unable to live alone and is in an assisted living facility, I am so grateful to Mary Lou and Allison for their true compassion and professionalism, knowing my mother’s well-being is their utmost concern.” Another patient’s daughter stated that her mom really trusted the nursing staff, that her mom felt like she could tell the nurses anything, and that her mom has been treated like part of the family. All it takes is one

good comment to make all of the trying times come into perspective—it makes what we do worth it. If we can impact one person’s life by making their time on earth a little better, we have done our job. Working with some wonderful mothers, I have taken the time to truly reflect on what our mothers have done for us. Mothers love unconditionally. So many times we are so busy that we do not take the time out of our schedules to spend time with our mothers. Unfortunately, there are times when we finally realize it’s too late. In the business of healthcare of the elderly, I see this all too often. Give your mom a hug; take the time to tell your mom how much you love her. So many times I have had comments from different people—especially mothers—that “You are so lucky to be able to follow your dreams and have your children right there with you.” I am very blessed not only to have my children, but also to have my mom right there with me every step of the way. We are business partners, friends and, most importantly, mother and daughter.

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June 2009

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The Old West brought to life by cowhands of

Enchanted Springs Ranch

In Texas, Enchanted Springs Ranch is known as one of the state’s top tourist attractions.  Now, it is receiving national recognition from one of the nation’s most popular websites. The ranch, located just over 30 miles from San Antonio, has been listed as one of America’s top “Wacky Family Attractions” on Oprah Winfrey’s official website, oprah. com.   The feature describes a trip to the Boerne ranch – including wagon rides, a visit to the ranch’s Wild Animal Park (home to Longhorn cattle, horses, zebras, antelope, elk, emus, llamas, and even buffalo), and performances by Pistol Packin’ Paula – as “an experience cowboys and girls can’t resist!” “When Oprah puts her name on something, people pay attention,” says Steve Schmidt, Co-Owner of Enchanted Springs Ranch.  “So to be featured on her website is a nice surprise and a real thrill for us.” The recognition from oprah.com comes as Enchanted Springs Ranch prepares for   National

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Travel and Tourism Week (May 9 – May 17); to celebrate, during that week the ranch will offer a $2 discount off the regular ticket price to customers who mention Oprah. In June, the ranch will begin Cowgirls Summer Camp, a one-week overnight program for girls ages 10 to 14; a new session will begin every week from June 7 to August 7. Vicki Schmidt, Co-Owner of Enchanted Springs Ranch, says, “Here at Enchanted Springs Ranch, the West isn’t just wild, it’s wacky.   I can’t think of

another location where you can find cowboys around one corner and emus around the next.   So come on down and see what else you can find!” Enchanted Springs Ranch (which opened in 2004, on nearly 90 acres of land) is also an active film set, and has been the shooting location of choice for television programs for PBS, MSNBC and the History Channel; commercial campaigns (including one featuring George Strait); and feature films, including “Palo Pinto Gold”.  Director Anthony Henslee’s family Western recently won awards for “Best Western Film” and “Best Director” at the Trail Dance Film Festival in Oklahoma, and has been nominated for three Remi Awards – “Best Western”, “Best Director”, and “Best Texas Film” – at WorldFest in Houston.   In May, Palo Pinto Gold will screen at the Big Island Film Festival in Hawaii, as well as the Gone With The Film Festival in Los Angeles.

EXPLORE it! The REAL Kendall County.

Boerne Berges Fest

By Jeanna Goodrich

It’s all about the “F” word: family, friends, food, fun…and, of course, Fest! Whichever “F” word you’re the most fond of, you’ll find it at the Boerne Berges Fest. 42 years ago, Boerne kicked off its first Berges Fest on the Plaza, with $500 and a few volunteers. Today, what seems like every single member of the Boerne community comes together for Berges Fest, to celebrate Boerne and its rich cultural heritage. Friendly locals and curious tourists (am I a local yet? I still can’t decide!) from all across the Hill Country come to watch the crowning of Miss Berges Fest or enjoy the tunes of the Boerne Village Band. What began as an ice cream social on Boerne’s Main Plaza, Berges Fest quickly grew to encompass most of the Boerne business community. Shops were open to the community, as not only was the Berges Fest an opportunity to raise money, but to donate money as well: many of the profits from the weekend are donated to charitable, local organizations that help promote the betterment of the community. Being new to Kendall County, I’m already looking forward to it—I guess I need to admit that I’ve never been to Berges Fest before. What, then, am I supposed to tell you to look forward to? I concluded that my first stop needed to be the Boerne Public Library, where I dug through three giant file folders of old photos, newspaper articles, and annual brochures to find that special, Berges Fest hook. Well, friends, I found it: I found what keeps the residents of Boerne coming back to the Plaza every year for the festivities. It was there, staring up at me from a black-and-white photograph dated 1980. Four good-ol’ guys, standing behind a white-paper covered table, offering cans of Coors, Lone Star, or Pearl—for seventy-five whole cents. That’s right, guys and gals, in 1980 I could have purchased a delicious can of cold beer for three quarters and enjoyed an afternoon at Berges Fest (but Jeanna, delicious? Lone Star tastes like water and Pearl tastes like ham!). This would have been incredibly useful—and incredibly fun—had I been born yet. Unfortunately, this year I will have to instead shell out three dollar bills to

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Inquire for private dinner parties and destination events; Lodging with spectacular Hill Country views; Summer Youth Outdoor Adventure Programs June & July enjoy the same crisp refreshment. But I will do it with a smile. This year’s Fest kicks off Friday evening at the Berges Fest Pageant, starting at 6 p.m. Fun begins again early Saturday morning, as spectators line Main Street to reserve a spot for the parade—a spot for the lawn chair and a spot for the cooler full of ice-cold Shiner Bock. It’s one of the few times we can justify being significantly intoxicated before 11 a.m., and sneak our nephew a quick sip of cold brew behind his mama’s back. And, according to my trusty inside sources, I shouldn’t even think about going home when the parade is over: the beer drinkin’, hootin’-and-hollerin’, and other sorts of general debauchery travel all the way to the Fairgrounds, where the carnival and other concessions will be held this year. We get to watch our moms fall in the mud in the tug-of-war contest, and our husbands (who never really grew up past age sixteen) race lawnmowers—yes, lawnmowers—across a few yards of dirty track. Revel in it: it’s the one weekend every year where we flat-out celebrate how amazing we are. And don’t we deserve it! The party doesn’t stop until Sunday evening, but not before we’ve two-stepped with our neighbors to some amazing Texas country and pitted our cute little Dachshunds against each other in a race to the finish. Whatever “f” word fits it best, I sure won’t be missing the fun, fantastic, festive, friendly, first-rate, fortysecond annual Berges Fest, Father’s Day weekend, Friday June 19 – Sunday June 21. Foods, beverages, crafts, and other commodities will be abundant throughout the town all weekend. And, please, if you see a small redhead looking quite lost or confused, kindly guide her to the nearest cold beer… Prost!

These frauleins pose

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Miss Berges Fest in 1969—40 years ago — was Nancy Kay Montgomery.

June 2009

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21

When I’m Gone By Kendall Aaron I had a lazy Sunday afternoon this past weekend, and stumbled across a most interesting TV show: “Life After People” on A&E. Who knows why they decided to develop this show, but it’s basically a look at how our world would change should people mysteriously disappear. There was no explanation as to WHY people had vanished, but it really wasn’t the point. Via some very fancy graphics and CGI effects, they showed you the Empire State Building slowly decaying and eventually toppling over. They showed you Central Park in New York as it was quickly overtaken by nature, complete with escaped tigers and lions from the Zoo. I suppose it’s all possible, and I found it quite interesting. What I found interesting wasn’t the effects or the destruction, it was the slow and deliberate efficiency of God’s

creations. They showed a segment about the Hoover Dam, one of man’s greatest engineering marvels. With 21,000 workers, man created something so immense, so staggering, and in its own way, so beautiful. The only problem, the narrator told me, was that within 3 months, the Hoover Dam would completely shut down because small mussels liked to crawl into the intake pipes of the Dam and they would block the water, basically damming the dam. From there, the water would back up, spill over the Dam, and Las Vegas would go completely dark due to the lack of power. All in 3 months, and all due to a mussel. As the show concluded, I walked outside and sat on my patio. From there, I could hear the wind, feel the breeze, and heard a bird or two whizz past me. I can hear the trees creaking, people talking, and saw a squirrel run

along the top of a fence. I smiled. People are incredibly arrogant beings, believing in many ways that we are indestructible. Nature can be such a pest, and something that we must “tame”. We trim trees, mow grass, move dirt, and change the landscape. Then every few days we must tend to our gardens. We are in a constant state of trying to beat back nature, and we never really win. God created this entire universe in 6 days, and since then it has run perfectly. He has had to make no modifications, maintenance, or changes. It was created, as were we, and we have functioned perfectly fine ever since. It really just gave me pause to recognize the sheer and awesome power of our God. No matter what we build, what we conquer, or what we destroy… it will always return and be overtaken by nature (God) yet again. Our lives are much the same. No matter how much sin we build up, how much hate and pride and denial we produce, God’s everlasting Love is always just waiting for

the opportunity to cover you. No matter how far you may drift from Him, you really aren’t that far. You are really only three words away from him: “I accept you”. We build monuments to other gods, we crush forests for subdivisions, and we push nature into the most obscure and inhospitable areas of our earth. Yet, the minute we are gone, nature will find a way to reclaim its rightful property. Take some time and sit in your backyard. Look at all the ways you try to keep nature “in check”. Think of all the ways that you fight to keep nature from overtaking your property, and then maybe, get a bit more philosophical with it. In what ways to you keep God from overtaking your heart? What areas do you try to hide, try to cover, and try to keep from God? In what ways can you further relinquish control? Our time on this Earth is short. Make the most of it. No matter how large an impact you make here on Earth, the impact you can make in heaven is far greater.

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2009 Boerne Berges Fest Father's Day Weekend

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Saturday June 20, 2009

Sunday June 21, 2009

Berges Fest Parade 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Horseshoe Pitching Tournament ($20 Per Team) - 1:00 pm Lawnmower Races 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm (Gates Open 10-4) Egg Toss - 1:00 pm Washer Pitching Tournament Starts ($20 Per Team) - 3:00 pm Little Tractor Races - 2:00 pm Egg Toss - 3:00 pm Balloon Stomp - 3:00 pm Balloon Stomp - 4:00 pm Tug of War - 4:00 pm Tug of War - 5:00 pm Dachshund Races - 5:00 pm Dachshund Races - 6:00 pm June 2009 23 NEW FOR 2009 Mower Races www.hillcountryexplore.com

Snapshots of Our Past By Marjorie Hagy

When I research this stuff I write, I come across a lot of interesting bits and pieces that aren’t enough to write a whole piece about but that I find intriguing. I am a zealous collector of Useless Facts to Bore Your Kids With and I kick butt on Jeopardy, and one of my favorite road-trip pastimes was to poke my head (while driving) over the backseat & demand of my children things like who was the only US president never elected as either president or vice-president?? (After a couple of times they knew enough to either sigh Gerald Ford or feign a coma.) During a lull at the dinner table I may liven things up by wondering aloud ‘What is the significance of the sentence Able was I ere I saw Elba?’ Or when buying something somewhere my total might come out to $1o.66 and I will say brightly to the cashier ‘Ah! The Battle of Hastings!’ and the poor cashier will either sigh or feign a coma. Apparently my Fun Facts can induce narcolepsy, I have no idea why, so maybe I better put a warning here for you, before you read further. Maybe you shouldn’t operate heavy machinery for like 30 minutes, but on the other hand, maybe you’ll find these little tidbits out of Boerne’s past as fascinating as I do, and you might even trot one out at your next social function! Ludwig Borne, for whom Boerne was named, never came to America and never knew that a town here was named in his honor. He died in 1837, and Boerne was founded in 1849. Ludwig was born Lob Buruch in Frankfurt, Germany in 1786, and was a frail and sickly Jewish philosopher, writer and playwright who spoke out for religious, economic and political freedom in his homeland, and as a result had to flee Germany to Paris in 1819. He had already changed his name and converted to Christianity, and he became a hero to young German free-thinkers. Several of the party of eight men who originally settled Boerne were veterans of a previous settlement attempt on the banks of the Llano River, a socialist commune they called Bettina and in which everyone was supposed to share the work and the money all alike. The settlers of Bettina were long on serious thinkers, lawyers and theologians but short on farmers and carpenters, and not everybody was all that ripped on sharing the work and the money, after all, and Bettina lasted less than a year. Several of the idealistic young men went back to Germany and regrouped, and came back a few years later to found Boerne. In 1940 the Commissioners Court offered a bounty for foxes, wolves and wildcats in Kendall County, 50 cents for foxes, $1 for wildcats and $5 for wolves. The Kendall County Game Protective Association offered an additional bounty on the heads of blue darter hawks of 50 cents a piece. Evidence- presumably of a carcass variety- had to be presented at the Commissioners Court in order to collect your dough. Sightings of bobcats- or mountain lions- were still very frequent when I was a kid. We used to see them around our house in Pleasant Valley. And I swear one night on the old Camp Stanley Road, my friend and I saw the famous black panther. He was prowling around by a barbwire fence. Three nuns from the Benedictine Sisters Convent were hired to teach in the public schools here in the 60s but a big shemozzle erupted over the nuns’ habit (sorry)

24

of wearing their clerical garb in the classroom. They resigned at the end of the school year. Rumors have persisted for many years that the old 2-story school building on Blanco Street (now the City Hall) and the ‘new’ high school building on Johns Road (now Boerne Middle School North) are connected via an underground tunnel accessible through the girl’s locker room in the old high school gym. I certainly hope so. I do know a lot of precious gym time was squandered searching for the entrance until Ms Otter caught us and told us to knock it off. In 1934 there were 60 births and 57 deaths recorded in Kendall County. Up until the 60s and early 70s, Boerne really was a small isolated farming town. Farm products including produce, eggs, milk, cream and etc. were picked up daily by various wholesalers and distributed in San Antonio, or sold fresh daily to local merchants. One truck collected fresh cream each morning at the Log Cabin Service Station at the corner of Hwy 87 and Oak Park Streets, and the Guadalupe Valley Creamery Co. advertised ‘When marketing your cream and eggs remember- We Pay Cash!’ at the South Texas Ice Company, Fritz Weber, manager. Also the Boerne Locker Plant advertised ‘Hog Killing Time is Any Old Time- no longer need you wait until cold weather before you can butcher and eat your own hogs!’ That’s the kind of town it was. There were 27 graduates in the BHS Class of 1940. The subdivision of Chaparral Creek over by the high school started life in the early 60s as Paradise Heights, with a cool 60s-style sign and everything. Dawn Street was there then, too, but the three other streets in the addition were called Twilight, Sunglow and Stardust. In 1939, three mad dogs were rendered for taxes. They were valued at $29 each for purposes of taxation. Up until the exhibit hall at the fairgrounds burned down in the late 70s there were a number of permanent exhibits housed in there year-round, including one that used to haunt my nightmares as a kid, a stuffed two-headed calf. I don’t know anything more about it, don’t remember

EXPLORE it! The REAL Kendall County.

whose place it was born on or anything but e-mail the paper if you can tell me. Along those lines, the Boerne Star used to publish all kinds of interesting paragraphs about stuff going on around here, including a snippet in January 1950 about twin Jersey calves born on the Mr Herbert Kohls place. They presumably had just the one head each or else you’d think the Star would’ve reported otherwise, but it does report that Mr Kohls stated this was the first time in his life that one of his cows had twins. There are bits in the paper about relatives visiting from out of town, about townspeople going to San Antonio on business, about birthday parties and ladies’ teas and who was at the sewing circle. The archives are a delight to read. Most of the time. One 1940 ad for Norris Tailor Shop (‘the most modern cleaning & pressing shop in the county’) proudly declares: ‘We are WHITE and will treat you WHITE.’ Their capitals, not mine. Wow. Boerne beat Sisterdale by only 67 votes to become the county seat of newly-formed Kendall County in 1862. Speaking of ads, Robert’s Drug Store would not only ‘carefully compound your prescriptions’, they would sell you candy, a hunting license, shells (all sizes and calibers), guns, rifles and shotguns, school supplies and a pair of shoes- sort of a young WalMart. During World War II, the bad news was announced that due to increased federal taxes, shipping shortages & supply shortages, the price of all whiskey, rum and gin was going up from 50 cents a quart to $1.00 a quart at Plaza Package Store. In 1950 there were 275 ‘pit privies’ in Boerne- that is, outhouses. In a time when the population of the town was around 1800 people, that meant the majority of the homes here were still using outdoor plumbing. Dr Diamond was the driving force in bringing about a sanitation code to regulate both the ‘modern and ancient structures that adorn most of the backyards here in town.’ You can wake up now, kids. Kids??

A Magical Night of Songs & Stories By Paige Losoya There is a place not far from your doorstep that offers peacefulness and a calmness of heart where the smells and sounds of nature blend with the low murmur of chatter as couples, families and friends gather for an evening of anticipation. The setting is an outdoor stage under a protected canopy of oak trees that are strung with lights. As the trees sway and the bulbs flicker there is a sense that the stars have floated down from the sky and are gently resting on the old, large limbs. A few early arrivers take advantage of the surroundings in the last hours of sunlight and walk the wilderness trails that are radiant with signs of the season. Picnics are enjoyed by the creek and while others set up tables for an outdoor dinner party children walk along the boardwalk to explore the marsh. Dogs are relaxed but alert to unfamiliar smells and sights of nature all around. And as the day comes to an end and dusk disappears into evening, everyone settles in for good music, good fellowship and good food. This is just another evening of a Songs and Stories Concert at the Cibolo Nature Center. The Songs and Stories Concert series began almost a decade ago weaving storytelling and poetry reading with music. Over the years the series has transformed, but performers continue to offer an eclectic and varied repertoire with broad reaching appeal. From acoustic jazz to folksong sing-a-longs, from string quartets to country and western, there is something for everyone. In 2002, the Songs and Stories program was made the recipient of the Brandon Gallagher-Manning Memorial Fund of the San Antonio Area Foundation. Founded by his parents, Bob and Linda Manning of Boerne, the fund was initially built by contributions of family and friends. Several years later a music festival, Brandon’s Revue, began for continued benefit of the Songs and Stories Concert series and as a way to celebrate the life and memory of Brandon and his love for music. Each year we can look forward to a new lineup, returning favorites and expanded venues. Voted Best Event in Kendall County in 2008, Songs and Stories has just begun another great season. The 2009 concert series is sponsored by Frost Bank and includes the following: June 13 – Nobuko, 7:30 p.m. June 27 – SA Blue Cats, 7:30 p.m. July 11 – Lost Mule Band, 7:30 p.m. July 25 – Sean Castillo and the Hubcaps, 7:30 p.m. August 8 – Brandon’s Revue at Kendall County Fairgrounds, gates open at 5:30 p.m.; Lil’ Bit and the Customatics-6 p.m.; Matt Harlan-7 p.m.; Jimmy LaFave-8 p.m. September 12 – One Minute to Midnight, 8:30 p.m. Imagine listening to wonderful music with friends and family, an experience that allows you to slow down and experience the natural settings and the uniqueness and diversity of the community. You don’t want to miss an evening under the stars at the Cibolo Nature Center’s Songs and Stories Concert Series. For more information, visit www.cibolo.org or call 830-249-4616. See you under the stars!

“I started coming to the YMCA in June of last year, since then through diet and exercise I have lost 60 pounds! I used to walk, but my knee went out so now I come to the YMCA six days a week to ride the bicycles. I ride 12-13 miles per day and the increased mobility and weight loss have really helped my knee. The staff and equipment here are first class and the TVʼs added to the machines really makes for an easy and enjoyable workout. I really like everything about the Boerne YMCA!” Hal Weakly, 84

“The YMCA is a great way for our family to get fit together! We used to belong to another gym but switched because the YMCA was just really geared towards families. We can come in and work out and our kids love to come here and play, not to mention climbing the rock wall! Our son Connor is involved in soccer and basketball with the YMCA and our oldest daughter Mackenzie plays volleyball and has recently started working out with us. The YMCA was influential in our training for a ½ marathon we participated in last November and we are planning to do it again this year too!” The Shill Family Bradley, Kristen, Connor, Mackenzie & Alexandra

“My family decided to join the YMCA because it was a more family-friendly choice when compared to other gyms. Being home-schooled, it is a great way for us to get involved in the community. I can come in and workout with my sister or many of the other members that we know. I am also involved in coaching the 12 and under Girlʼs Volleyball Team here at the YMCA. This is really rewarding because it gives me a sense of accomplishment to be helping others to learn a sport that I love, while developing leadership skills as well.” Taylor McCall, 16

In partnership with Financial Assistance is available through the YMCA Open Doors Scholarship Program. Visit www.ymcasatx.org for more information.

1361 S. Main Street • Boerne, Texas 78006 830-815-1040 • www.ymcasatx.org

YMCA Mission: To Put Judeo-Christian principlesEXPLORE into practiceit!through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all. 26 The REAL Kendall County.

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Different Stuff

Public Art by Bill Zaner

Rebecca McCoy

Is art in the eye of the beholder? Here in the Different Stuff World Headquarters offices, we all (two) of us agree that the answer is, “yes, art is in the eye of the beholder.” Unless, of course, we disagree. Let’s say, for example, that you, somehow, by some unimaginable miracle, managed to acquire an original piece of sculpture by Auguste Rodin. We would, for one thing, judge you to be one really, really rich dude – who already owns most everything he’s ever wanted. Be that as it may, you, as the proud owner of one of the art treasures of the world, would be very anxious to display your unique and valuable chunk of rock in some public place for all to enjoy with you. Perhaps you’d loan your Rodin to some fine museum, which would maybe charge an admission fee to view your art. You’d be very proud to do this - as most of you zillionaires would. You’d have a little brass plate attached to the stone, telling the public just who actually owns the piece – you. Or, perhaps you’d rather display your statue on the grounds of your mansion. As a really, really rich dude who paid millions for a carved rock you, don’t have a “yard”, you have “grounds”. In that case, your art would be seen by many passersby, and they would just admire the heck out of it, and they would be envious of not only your statue, but of your mansion and grounds. Your place would have definite “curb appeal”. And that, we Different Stuffers do agree with – “curb appeal”. (That’s a term used by realtors, we think, as well as those folks at the tax office whose job is to make ridiculously high appraisals of what your house’s market value might be in our wildest nightmare.) We, what you might call “average” homeowners, do, for the most part, try to make our domiciles attractive to our neighbors and passersby. We plant flowers and shrubs, we mow our lawns, we sweep our sidewalks. We are proud of our places of habitation, and we do all we can to announce to the public in general that we do care to make a favorable impression, in the same way we comb our hair and put on our makeup and nice clothes before appearing in public. Those of us who don’t happen to be really, really rich dudes do what we can to acquire nice things – chairs and tables, rugs and wall coverings to make the insides of our houses all homey and nice. Some of us even manage

to acquire some art for our walls and perhaps even some artistic thing for our yards. (Yes, “yards”. No “grounds” around where we live.) We here at HQ, for example, have a nice concrete birdbath which you passersby could see and admire should you ever be invited into our BACK yard. While you are no doubt deeply disappointed that that’s not likely to happen, take heart! We also have a FRONT yard piece of three–dimensional art which you passersby can view and admire, but, and that’s a capitalized BUT, we so value and treasure our front yard object d’ art, that we tend to be selfish with it. We will condescend to share our piece with the public on only ONE day each week. Tuesdays. Only in the mornings. Sorry. We are blessed, though, to have neighbors who are not so infernally selfish with their own pieces of public art. Most of them display their four foot, bilious green or cow patty brown sculptures with wheels, each and every day, twenty–four hours, twelve months a year, just for the neighbors and the public to view and admire. Passersby, REJOICE! Think of them as we do: “receptacles ‘de garbahge”. Behold, as you ponder the probably unanswerable interrogatory, “what IS art?” Bubba, yer lookin’ at it! Note: We different stuffers are NOT classconscious snobs. ANYBODY can be a “passerby”.

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June 2009

www.hillcountryexplore.com

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Hill Country Outdoors:

Fly- fishing

By Steve Ramirez

fishing our streams for years you understand this all too well. Some readers may think, “I’d like to try fly-fishing, but it all looks too hard.” I assure you that you will be able to catch tree limbs with your am back cast just as well as I do. It does not matter. You will have fun not a patient and will learn as you do. Fly- fishing is one of those activities where man. I have never you never stop learning. As children, and later in the tail waters of been one to sit and watch life, we do not care what other people think and we remember that it a bobber, waiting for it to is through experimentation and mistakes that we learn and grow. I am bob. In most things of value in life, growing all the time. I find that observing is never as good as Hill Country Rivers include the Guadalupe, Medina, Llano, Nueces, participating. Like the “worlds’ most interesting Frio, Sabinal, Pedernales, Blanco, Lampasas and the San Gabriel. The fish man” of the Dos Equis XX commercial fame, I prefer that can be caught on the fly in the Texas Hill Country include largemouth to live vicariously through myself. Of all the things bass, smallmouth bass, and the Guadalupe bass that is endemic to our I have participated in, fly-fishing has the unique ability of region. While the largemouth bass are predominantly found in the deeper separating you from your worries while connecting you to being pools and tanks, smallmouth and Guadalupe bass tend to gravitate toward alive. Residents and visitors to the Texas Hill Country often do not areas of moving water. In fact, Guadalupe bass often behave in a manner know what a wonderful place this is for fly-fishing. Our home is a land reminiscent of trout, except that they are found in warm water. With that where many rivers run through it. said, there is a sustainable trout population in the Guadalupe River south The sun is just beginning to show over the live oaks as I drive along of the dam and seasonal trout fishing in the winter months where the Texas FM1376 toward Sisterdale. I turn toward Comfort and then onward until Department of Parks & Wildlife plants fingerlings. If this were not enough I find one of my favorite crossings of the Guadalupe River. I pull my truck we have a half dozen varieties of “perch” that are both beautiful and fun to to the side of the road, park among the wildflowers, step out and begin catch on the fly. If you tire of catching perch and bass, you can always stalk the process of stringing my fly rod. There is the sense of anticipation, a carp, white bass, gator gars, and catfish. Living in the Hill Country we are magnetic draw toward the river; but this is no time to rush. The river will be only two hours drive from some great salt water fly-fishing, but that is for there waiting as it has since the dinosaurs first crossed it leaving footprints another article. along the shoreline. No, this is a time to breathe, to let go of all the silliness There are a number of sources of information, instruction, equipment, that we civilized people pretend is of importance. As I have said, I am not a guidance, and camaraderie in our area. Hill Country Fly Fishers in Kerrville patient man; but I have learned more about patience from the river, or from and Alamo Fly Fishers in San Antonio are just two of the local clubs that a single knot in my line, than my parents could have ever taught me. provide these resources. Both can be located on the internet and have Stepping into the river for the first time is a transformational experience. regular meetings, fly tying sessions, and outings. There are several Before you do, you respect her; watch her, and see how she is feeling today. good books available on the subject with my favorite being Bud Then, and only then do you take the first step, leaving your prints where Priddy’s, Fly-Fishing the Texas Hill Country. Another good source the giants once did, stepping on rocks that a Comanche brave once stood of information is www.texasflyfishing.com. This site has information on, and knowing all the while that your prints will wash away too; as they about each river, the fish, and the craft of fly-fishing. Perhaps most should. I strip out the line from my reel and begin my back-cast. My forward importantly, this site promotes our involvement in the conservation cast loops toward a “fishy” spot under the shade of a cypress tree. My and management of our beautiful and fragile river habitat. line floats in the air, and then lights upon the water; the fly drifting with Sometimes, as I travel through our region, I am struck with the current. In time, eventually, someone who lives below the surface will how much it can remind me of places I have been in Africa. All decide that what drifts above them is breakfast. In that moment, we are of the time, I am certain that our home is like no other place on connected. I gently work him toward me, keeping my shadow to myself. earth. It is a national treasure and if we do not treat it as such, He comes to the net and with cold wet hands, I hold him, speak to him, others will find a more mercenary use for the land. By being a thank him, and then watch him swim away. participant in the Hill Country outdoor life, we take ownership When I catch fish, the uninitiated might say I had a good day, of our home and have a stake in its future. but in truth, they are all good days. After all, that is why it is called I know that there are legions of people encapsulated in “fishing” and not “catching.” Outdoor writer John Gierach once their metal SUV exoskeletons, lined up on their way to jobs wrote, “Fly-fishing is solitary, contemplative, misanthropic, scientific they hate. I should feel sorry for them, but I do not. Instead, in some hands, poetic in others, and laced with conflicting aesthetic I know that each of our lives is in our own hands. We cannot considerations. It’s not even clear if catching fish is actually the control what happens to us, but we can control our reaction point.” I agree in that you are always casting to yourself. Still, to it. When the going gets tough for me, I go fishing. Not all some of my greatest moments on the river were standing next the time, and not nearly enough, but like I said…I am always to my daughter Megan as she worked a yellow-bellied perch learning. Perhaps someday one of my dear readers may decide to the net. Solitary is not necessarily alone. We shared the to take that first step into the river and away from the noise, experience, but ultimately, it was still hers. which is a substitute for living. As writer John Gierach once said, I promise you, there is something magical about “life is short, and responsibility is overrated.” standing in a Hill Country river in the early morning, When you step out into that stream for the first time, remember casting a fly to the wind. It is the sounds of the birds that it is like going to the original church. I believe God built this in the cypress trees. It is the white-tailed deer place. It is a respectful place. Take the time to hear the birds and feeding along the rivers edge and red - tailed feel the cold water as it rushes past your legs. Breathe in, and out, hawks flying overhead. Even the act of and let out some line toward a “fishy” spot. And, if you happen to casting a line backwards and forwards see a middle aged, usually impatient man, has its charms. When I get it right, patiently untangling his leader from an it is like flying; but I often get overhanging branch, please give it wrong, and that is ok me a pleasant Texas wave. Then too. For those of quietly, respectfully, move to you who have an empty section of the river. been After all, we fly-fishermen aren’t lonely; but we do enjoy our solitude.

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EXPLORE it! The REAL Kendall County.