by Phil Houseal | Jun 13, 2019 | All Articles, Education, Events, Music, People of the Hill Country, Venue
June 12, 2019–It was a gazillion years ago, but I was able to accomplish a rare financial feat–to finish college with more money than I started with. How? First, I was an extreme cheapskate. I lived in a one-room apartment with no appliances. I used the space between...
by Phil Houseal | May 30, 2019 | All Articles, History, People of the Hill Country, Venue
May 29, 2019–I’ll bet many of you have driven through the town of Hye, Texas, and not even realized you were passing by a 100-year-old dance hall. I know I’ve made that journey between Stonewall and Johnson City countless times, and only had eyes for the old...
by Phil Houseal | May 23, 2019 | All Articles, Events, Food, History, Music, People of the Hill Country, Venue
May 22, 2019–I first came to the Texas Hill Country in 1978. Yet I’d never visited Castell. Last weekend, I fixed that. The Castell General Store–which is essentially Castell–was celebrating its Testicle Festival. As auspicious an event as any for finding out...
by Phil Houseal | May 2, 2019 | All Articles, Education, Events, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
May 1, 2019–Years ago I had the idea to create an athletic competition that required no athleticism whatsoever: Der Sitzenfest. Competitors would vie for prizes by sitting comfortably in their favorite chair, rocker, or recliner. It was all an idle (very idle)...
by Phil Houseal | Apr 11, 2019 | All Articles, Education, Events, Music, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
April 10, 2019–When I was in high school the band director announced he was starting a jazz band. There were only 300 students in our entire school, so once you pulled out the football players and cheerleaders, there weren’t that many of us left to fill out the...
by Phil Houseal | Mar 28, 2019 | All Articles, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
3/27/19–For years I have been on a quest for the perfect pillow. That’s one of those life essentials you didn’t know you needed until you become an adult. As a kid, you could fall asleep on the floor on top of a pile of coats, with a wadded up sweatshirt under...
