by Phil Houseal | Aug 29, 2019 | All Articles, Events, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
August 28, 2019–At the next parade, pay special attention to the flatbeds filled with high-fiving athletes and leaping cheerleaders. Take note of the pure joy, the enthusiasm, the energy on display. They are punching fists into the sky, jumping up and down, and...
by Phil Houseal | Aug 22, 2019 | All Articles, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
Aug 21, 2019–I love encountering unexpected excellence in unusual places. This happened when I was traveling back to my small hometown in Iowa. Our regular stops include the local general merchandise stores run by Amish and Mennonite families that have settled in the...
by Phil Houseal | Aug 8, 2019 | All Articles, Education, Events, History, People of the Hill Country, Venue
Aug 7, 2019–As an elementary science teacher, I was perennially fascinated by the fascination dinosaurs held for all students. I now have a granddaughter who requested a dinosaur theme for her 3rd birthday, and she was talking Triceratops, not Barney. So when I...
by Phil Houseal | Jul 25, 2019 | All Articles, Food, People of the Hill Country
July 24, 2019–Never thought I’d write about vinegar. Over the years I’ve covered the rise of various beverages in the Hill Country. It started with the wineries and breweries. Next, distilleries began turning out whiskey, vodka, and rum. The most recent...
by Phil Houseal | Jun 27, 2019 | All Articles, Education, People of the Hill Country
June 26, 2019–I’ve long held the theory that everyone should learn to act. After all, we take lessons to drive a car, cook a soufflé, or play piano. If you think of your body as an instrument, doesn’t it make sense to learn how to use it? Yet many of us are...
by Phil Houseal | Jun 20, 2019 | All Articles, Education, Events, History, People of the Hill Country
June 19, 2019 The 1960s–what a time to be a geek! In one decade you could follow the golden arc of the U.S. space program, from its struggles to leave the launch pad through the triumph of walking on the moon. Every year there was a magical achievement. The...
