October-December 2019 Issue

October gave a party; The leaves by hundreds came- The Ashes, Oaks, and Maples, And leaves of every name. The sunshine spread the carpet, And everything was grand; Miss Weather led the dancing; Professor Wind, the band… -George Cooper As I sit and ponder what to write, I can’t help but profess my love of autumn. I wait with impatient anticipation of the most glorious season of them all, and with every cool morning, I sense summer leaving us for a while. Lately, tempera ...

ar·ti·san • a worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand. (of food or drink) made in a traditional or non-mechanized way using high-quality ingredients. What’s more artisan than winemaking? Human beings using their hands to take an agricultural product (grapes) and turning them into a consumable item that is not only enjoyable but one that brings people together to create stories and memories.

Can you keep a secret? Here’s the deal — I found this great place in Ingram where you can get hand-crafted old-fashioned cakes and cookies. Now you see, I’m not really supposed to eat sweets, but . . . well . . . you know how a schnauzer reacts when he sniffs a sirloin.

The act of skilled, visual creativity is an astounding thing. The proficiency to physically and emotionally capture, in two- and/or three-dimension, likenesses that evoke an other-worldly reality has always been an appreciated and revered aspect within the greater realm of the recognized arts. It’s inspiring when encountered as are those few gifted with the abilities to actually execute.

I did not expect what I saw at JP Mazanec’s RustiCustom Wimberley workshop. He’s an expert woodworker. Name the wood, name the project, and he’ll do it whether it’s functional or art or perhaps both. His workshop is expansive — more than 2,000 square feet with every tool you can imagine accompanied by paints and stains and pieces of wood. The workshop is surrounded outside by wood, some exposed to the elements and some in sheds.

Leakey, the county seat of Real County, welcomes visitors and attracts newcomers to an area of outstanding natural beauty. Its steep, rugged terrain creates deep canyons which shelter the Frio and Nueces rivers. Lazy, slow-moving stretches of water are interspersed with thrilling whitewater rapids and deep pools, providing exceptional kayaking, tubing and fishing for outdoor enthusiasts. Driving tours are popular with both auto and motorcycle aficionados, where hairpin curves cling to the m ...

Located in the heart of sheep and goat country where live oaks dot the hills and clear streams flow, a vibrant South Texas artisan is creating colorful clothing and single-handily promoting an industry whose heyday peaked years ago. Dolores Vernor greets me at the door of her shop on Camp Wood’s main street.

It’s just a little old shop on a corner in the town of Goldthwaite. I walk in and I am almost overwhelmed by what I see—a huge variety of beautiful items on shelves, hanging from the walls, set up on the floor. Then the lady behind the counter tells me that everything I see is handcrafted by about 30 different people.

Ashe junipers, or the ubiquitous “cedar” trees covering the terrain, generally elicit scorn from Hill Country landowners. Most consider the bushy evergreens to be a nuisance, robbing the soil of moisture, causing miserable allergic reactions during pollination and serving no greater purpose than raw material for gnarly fence posts. But the Klaassen family views cedars as natural works of art that can be transformed into sturdy, attractive bed frames and other pieces of rustic furniture.

When Daniel and Adriana Omo moved their family from city living in San Antonio to Blanco County, they were seeking a more wholesome, rural lifestyle, where they could all slow down and have a closer connection to the land and the sense of a small community. But they probably did not foresee goat herds and cheese-making in their future. Their oldest child, Chrissy, was a teenager and it was a big change for her.