by Phil Houseal | Dec 15, 2022 | All Articles, People of the Hill Country, Venue
Dec 2022–What would possess a couple of tech entrepreneurs to erect eight yurts on 10 acres of land in the Texas Hill Country and rent them out as overnight accommodations? “We just really liked it,” admitted Bill Paul, who with his wife, Jenny, are finishing their...
by Phil Houseal | Oct 6, 2022 | All Articles, Education, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
Oct 5, 2022–A colleague recently retired as Executive Director of a community organization. After “congratulations,” my first thought was, I wonder if anyone will return his calls now? You see, in our society, People don’t hold Positions; Positions hold People. The...
by Phil Houseal | Sep 21, 2022 | All Articles, History, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy, Venue
Sept 21, 2022–At what point in any journey is the joy of attending an event worth the pain of travel to get there? Is one night worth six days in a car? Eight hours in a plane? Three weeks on a slow boat? That was the topic of a recent discussion. Of course, it is an...
by Phil Houseal | Jul 27, 2022 | All Articles, Events, History, People of the Hill Country, Venue
July 27, 2022–On a hot night in July something happened to me that hasn’t happened in at least a decade–I went to a dance and recognized a dozen people. More accurately, they recognized me. I couldn’t cross the dance floor without being stopped three times to shake a...
by Phil Houseal | Jun 15, 2022 | All Articles, Education, Events, History, People of the Hill Country, Venue
June 15, 2022–When I first came to Texas, the day called “Juneteenth” bewildered me. Every time I asked what it signified, native Texans would mumble and turn away. I got the feeling it was a litmus test to screen “yankees,” in the same way no real Texan ever called...
by Phil Houseal | Jun 8, 2022 | All Articles, Education, History, People of the Hill Country
June 8 2022–While I was wandering the country as an itinerant musician, the first place I visited upon arrival in a new town was the local library. As an avid reader and news junkie B.C. (before computers), the library was my link to the larger world outside of Ford...