by Phil Houseal | Sep 29, 2021 | All Articles, Food, History, Philosophy
Sept 29, 2021–In the panoply of sentient life on earth, it wasn’t that long ago that we didn’t have candy bars. Or ice cream. Or sodas or pop-tarts. Breakfast cereals. Hamburgers. French fries. Coffee didn’t come to Europe until the 1500s. That means even...
by Phil Houseal | Sep 3, 2021 | All Articles, Food, History, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
9/8/2021–As I grow in wisdom, one thing I understand better is my Grandpa’s fascination with Archway Cookies. Archway Homestyle Cookies were a Midwest grocery store staple in the 1980s. These cookies stood out from the sleeves of hard, cookie-cutter type cookies then...
by Phil Houseal | Aug 4, 2021 | All Articles, Events, History, Music, Venue
Aug 4, 2021–Like Neil Sedaka, Cher, and Lady Gaga, the Rockbox Theater keeps reinventing itself to keep the music playing and new fans entertained. KK and Kelly Welch are the latest empresarios to take a turn at the wheel of this iconic “Fredericksburg jewel.” The...
by Phil Houseal | Jul 13, 2021 | All Articles, Events, History, People of the Hill Country, Venue
July 14, 2021–When an event has been going on for 133 years, closing the gates for a season is not an option. So last summer, the directors of the Gillespie County Fair & Festival Association decided to hold the county fair and the horse races. Events were...
by Phil Houseal | Jul 7, 2021 | All Articles, History, Philosophy
July 7, 2021–As I sat in a field in Southeast Texas a few weeks ago, I encountered a new (to me) species of native insect: Love bugs. While the name conjures up notions of romance and cuteness, their presence is a plague. According to locals, for a few days each...
by Phil Houseal | Jun 23, 2021 | All Articles, History, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
June 23, 2021–A dangerous combination is parents who see a threat in every natural situation, raising kids who see none. I was reminded of this when we had visitors to our rural property awhile back. They had grown up in very urban areas, but were enamored by the...
