Welfare

Wednesday, November 30, 3026

Did I grab your attention with the title?  I hope so.

Actually Welfare is the name of a small community between Kerrville and Boerne in the Hill Country of Texas.  

Today it is a ghost town but in 1848 Carl Joseph and Augusta Beseler along with their sons emigrated to Texas from their homeland to settle on Carl’s land  grant and open a general store.  The town grew up around the general store.   The community was first named Bon Ton or Boyton but changed to Welfare when the post office was opened in 1880 with Carl Beseler as the first Postmaster. 

We spotted the sign below and thought we would stop for lunch, but alas we somehow failed to see the Café so continued on our way coming across these farm buildings.

 Further along the road is the town of Waring which was founded in 1887 by R.P.M. Waring and named for the founders hometown of Waringford in Ireland.  The name was not changed to Waring until 1901.  From its founding until service was ceased in 1970, the town was a station on the Kerrvile branch of the San Atnonio and Aransas Pass Railway.  In Waring we found this old General Store and gas station, a church and this old school. 

You never know what you will find when you drive the back roads through old towns and we always enjoy being surprised by what we find.    

Our RV neighbors here in the Park went with us this evening for the Wednesday night  hamburgers at the local Elks Lodge.  It is a very active Lodge and officers make a point of greeting all visitors each time they attend and tonight was no exception.  Nice to be remembered by name and welcomed.  All of us bought 50-50 tickets tonight and to our surprise, Ron won $102 enough to pay for our meal tonight, our stay at the RV Park tomorrow night with quite a bit left over. 

Coming back to the Park after dark, we are able to enjoy the many, many lights which this Park puts up for the Christmas season.  Don’t think I have ever heard about another Park that does this much.  It really is beautiful.  Below are a few pictures Ron took.  Some he took just do not show the sight as it really does look in person.

Rental cabins at the Park

Signing off as we make our way to Las Cruces and then Arizona.

A Visit to Boerne

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Today we drove south to the town of Boerne which is located just off I-10 and about 40 miles south of Kerrville.  Boerne is the county seat of   Kendall County and was named in honor of a Jewish-German author and publicist, Karl Ludwig Börne, with the Anglicized spelling of Boerne. In March 1887, the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway came to town creating an economic boom but the town was not incorporated until 1909.   It is now a fast growing community due to its proximity to San Antonio.  The main street through town is a heavily traveled four lane road and it is hard to enter the road from a side street if you are not on a street with a light. 

Our visit included going to the following places: 

Dienger Trading Co. (a restaurant, bakery and unique shop of clothes and jewelry for men, women and infants as well as some interesting home décor items).  The building was constructed in 1884 and served as a fancy grocery store on the street level with the family’s living quarters on the second floor. In 1900, Mr. Dienger added on to the original structure to allow for a new dry goods store.

Next we stopped by Ye Kendall Inn which was an old stage coach stop and is now a lovely Inn with a lovely gazebo across the street.  The Inn was built around 1859 by Erastus and Sarah Reed who came from Georgia.  At that time travelers were at the mercy of homeowners in the area who were willing to let them spend the night in a spare room.  The Reeds built the center portion of the hotel and were the first to offer four rooms for travelers in the Hill Country. 

Gazzebo across the street

The Old Courthouse (the limestone courthouse is the second oldest in Texas and was designed by architects Philip Zoeller and J. F. Stendebac).    Kendall County was created in 1862 and Boerne became the county seat with the courthouse being built in 1870.  A new front was added in 1909.  

Next door is the Old Jail (circa 1909).

The old St. Peter on the Hill Catholic Church is a wood frame building on Main Street.  In the 1860’s Emil Fleury, a young deacon studying to be a priest, was sent by the Bishop of Galveston to build the first Catholic Church in Boerne.  Fleury found a spot high on a hill south of Cibolo Creek and began to build the original St. Peter’s Catholic Church.  

This church served the people in Boerne until 1923 when a newer church was built next door.  This new church was modeled after San Antonio’s Mission Conception.

Across the street from the church is a city park with a lovely memorial to the fallen soldiers of many wars in the center. 

  Our drive around town also took us past a few old homes 

and the creek (Cibolo Creek) flowing through town even though it looks more like a river to me.  In addition, we took in a number of antique stores before returning to Kerrville.  

On the way home, we stopped at the local Mexican Restaurant (Mamacita's) where we each had a chimichanga covered in what they call ranchero sauce with virtually no flavor.  The plate also included rice and either refried or whole beans along with sour cream and guacamole.  The meal was plentiful but lacked flavor.  We really are spoiled after living in New Mexico so long.  

Thanksgiving at Matagorda Nature Center

Wednesday - Saturday, November 23 -26, 2016

We are off today to Matagorda Nature Center and Campground located on the Matagorda Pensinsula between a waterway and the Gulf of Mexico about 275 miles east and south of our location here in Kerrville.  Though we chose to leave the day before Thanksgiving, our travel down I-10 was fairly quick and the side roads south from I-10 mostly empty of traffic. My daughter Laurie and family, her in laws (Robert and Wanda), and friends of Laurie and Kyle (Tanner and Brandi and their children Lane, Chase and Tandi) along with us will all be together from today until Saturday morning to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday together. 

The Campground is located at the end of the Peninsula after driving over the tall bridge

The High Rent District 

and proceeding about 6 miles passed many summer homes built on stilts due to the rising of the tides from high tides and hurricanes.

The waterway side of the Peninsula

The campground also has a nature center and many covered tables and benches for picnics.  Since some of the beach area is quite compact, people take their trucks and cars to the beach for picnics and fishing.  No real swimming this time of year though day time temperatures are in the mid 70’s  to low 80’s day time and 60 to 70 at night.  Very comfortable for being outdoors especially at this time of year.

Lots of fishing here day and night.  I am surprised at the night time fishing but what would I know about fishing.  Even though I was raised on both the east and west coasts and spent much of my childhood at the beach and on boats, my family was not much into fishing.  We were clam diggers.

The campsites here are concrete pads with concrete patio and concrete table and bench next to each site and lots of space between sites.  A feature we really enjoy.  Our four campsites were two side by side on one road backed up to two side by side on the other road.  Our dinner meals were together with all of us at one site and the meat prepared by Kyle (my son in law) and friend, Tanner.  The rest of us brought the side dishes and did the clean up. 

The men and kids are off fishing for most of the days and evenings.  They catch a bunch of fish some of which is prepared for dinner on Friday night along with the turkey, etc. leftovers from Thanksgiving.  We also have a lunch meal of barbequed burgers with NM green chili which we provided.  Nothing like an afternoon on the beach with sand in your burger. 

Kyle and Tanner checking the burgers

Laurie with buns, Tanner, Kyle and Kaylee

Kyle watching the fishing lines from the truck

The water is warm enough for me to roll up my jeans and put my feet in but apparently warm enough for the kids to all get in the water to fish and play despite the small waves coming in and the wind.

Me getting my tootsies wet

The group sitting on the beach

Lane and Tandi in the waer

We return Saturday morning to Kerrville with traffic moving smoothly all the way.  It was wonderful to see the kids and grandkids whom we won’t see again until next October.

Garrett and Kaylee having fun

Cause for Celebration

Friday, November 18, 2016

Cause for celebration today.  The cervical collar came off.  YEAH!  Saw the spinal doctor today and healing of my C1 is coming along nicely and should be completely healed in about 5 to 6 more weeks; however, I don’t need the cervical collar while that is taking place.

Since it is 100 miles from here to Austin, we driove to my daughter Laurie’s on Thursday to stay the night.  Stop in Fredericksburg at a couple of antique stores and then for Ron’s birthday dinner at our favorite German Restaurant called “Der Lindenbaum.”  We have eaten here several times in the past and always enjoy our meal.  Today was no exception.

Return to Kerrville today, Friday, in time for wine and cheese at the Social Room at the Resort where we meet a number of other campers before leaving for a Thanksgiving Dinner at the local Elks Lodge.  This is a very active Lodge compared to the many we stop at in our travels.  We have stopped in here before as well as stayed in an RV spot in the back of the Lodge. 

Kerrville is a retirement area and a small town (23,000) with quite a number of cultural activities and civic organizations which attract the retirees as well as those spending the winter months here.  We sit at a table with several couples who have been or still are part time RVers before settling in the community.  They give us some insight into housing and other things going on in town.  We are feeling very comfortable here and will probably spend some time here next winter as well as see if this may be somewhere we may want to settle when we stop RVing.  It feels like home and is a small town close to San Antonio and Austin but not too close with the congestion we saw in Buda and Kyle where my daughter lives.  Those communities are only about 15 to 20 miles south of Austin where Kerrville is 66 miles from San Antonio. 

Stay tuned for a visit to Boerne, TX next week.

Crafts, Antiques and Lunch

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

As people who know me well know, I always enjoy poking around in craft and fabric stores and have been known to spend a considerable amount of time doing so.  When I would tell my late Mother that I was going to go to Hobby Lobby, she would always tell me, “Don’t forget to take your lunch, dear” as she knew I would be there quite a while.

What does that have to do with today?  Well, last week I walked into a store here in Kerrville called Hometown Crafts and Gifts to purchase some thread and told Ron I would need to return when I could spend some time.  Today was the day.  Ron dropped me off and took off for his favorite place, Starbucks, for some coffee and to listen to an online photography class.  I told him I would call when I had finished my shopping.  About an hour and half later I called to say, “come and get me.”

This store was quite a surprise for a town the size of Kerrville (around 23,000 population).  The store is as big or bigger than the largest Hobby Lobby in Albuquerque and includes arts and crafts supplies, fabric, yarn, party, scrapbook, cards, home décor, floral, furniture etc.  While they do not  have some of the dishes, baskets, ceramic décor items carried at Hobby Lobby, the store carries just about everything else and had a larger selection of items for any kind of craft.  The aisles are very narrow with just about room for a small grocery type cart and a body next to it. Needless to say, I had a good time and left behind some money for the many items “I couldn’t live without.”

After my visit to the craft store, we continued down to the historic district of town to take in my favorite antique store.  

We did some looking around, but nothing said, “buy me, buy me” so we left town and headed to “The Ridge Marketplace” located on a hilltop a short distance out of town.  

At The Ridge you will find some home cooking in the café and bakery, a gift shop, an event center and a native nursery.   All the food items are made from scratch daily and are family recipes. 

Being just past the lunch hour, we decided to try out the café.  We always like to try local owned restaurants and I like to try different items or similar items that include different items that are usually used.  Ron had his usual hamburger and onion rings and I ordered the “Green BLT”.  What is a Green BLT?  It was a fried green tomato, bacon, avocado, red onion and lettuce on a homemade sourdough hoagie roll along with fresh large cut sweet potato fries.  

Ron’s onion rings were large with a light seasoned batter and all items were absolutely delicious.  We purchased some fresh baked cookies (cranberry, macadamia nut and white chocolate cookies to take home for later dessert. 

Our sandwiches came in a plastic basket lined with the paper shown below.  The date of the paper is April 1, 1952.  

While I was not living in New Jersey until July of that year as an 8 year old, the ads and some of the information in the articles rang bells with me as things I remember about things in the New Jersey and later New York areas.   The cost of attending “Singing in the Rain” at Radio City Music Hall was 50 cents for adults, the cost of gas in New Jersey 13.9 cents, the cost of a room at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, $10 and the number of crates 350 and how long it took to put the Statue of Liberty together, 4 months. Too bad they don’t cost that today. 

A lot of shopping today, but fun to poke around in new places.

Stonehenge in America

Sunday, November 13, 2016

  

Our drive today takes us just to the north of Kerrville to the community of Ingram where we find a side road with some old buildings (what else?) selling antiques and a couple of restaurants.  

Ingram was founded in 1879 by J.C.W. Ingram and is located along the banks of the Guadalupe River which today is running quite high.  

Ingram is another of those small Texas towns with old buildings and quaint shops and small population.  Just to the north of town is a dam where the water flows gently over the dam allowing algae to grow down the concrete.  Locals congregate here swimming around the dam and sliding down the slick algae for recreation.  What fun that must be.  It is too late in the year for swimming here now.

Just beyond this area on the main highway are these structures which resemble Stonehenge found on Easter Island.  Where did they come from, how long have they been here?  The structures started out as an amusing art project by a gentleman by the name of Al Sheppard from Hunt, TX when his friend offered him a limestone slab left from the construction of his backyard patio.  Mr. Sheppard got an idea to stand the slab on end and then got Stonehenge Fever.  The next year Mr. Sheppard had his friend erect a 90% scale replica of the original Stonehenge made from plaster and graphite-covered metal mesh and steel frameworks in his pasture.   Mr. Sheppard added two 13 foot Easter Island heads a year and a half later.  He died in 1994.  In 2010 the property where Stonehenge stood was sold and the new owners wanted to tear it down.  The city of Ingram’s Hill Country Arts Foundation bought the monument and the heads

and moved them 8 miles into Ingram and near the river which flows through the area.