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July 9, 2019
Growing Up In Bandera
By Glenn Clark
How did we come to calling all of our highways by a number instead of their real name? Everyone knows 3240 is really Ridge Route and 1077 is the Dixie Dude Road. 470 is a lot easier to identify as the Tarpley Highway. Pretty simple when you think about it. It's like we are losing part of our identity.
The way things are going I will soon be getting lost in a place where I lived almost my entire life. What's wrong with directions like, "Turn right by the Evans house and keep going until you get to the Turner place where the road makes a 90 degree turn.” GPS might be the new modern way to get somewhere if you have an address but it sure as heck ain't gonna tell you who lives in the house where you need to turn.
One of the things I truly miss about "the old days" around Bandera is the way I was greeted as a kid entering a local business. Very few people didn't know me by name. In these modern times I am known around town by lots of different names I'm told.
As I make my morning rounds along main street I sometimes tap on a window when I see someone inside busy at work. I almost always get a big smile and wave in return and that makes my morning a little brighter.
Human connections aren't the only daily encounters I have while walking the streets of our town. I see those roosters who hang around the restaurants like panhandlers looking for a handout. Meanwhile back at his home the hen is busy herding chicks reminding me of what my mother must have endured with her brood back in the day.
The deer which are common along every street and in all areas of town don't shy away more than a few feet as I pass by where they are grazing. Most will even walk toward me thinking my litter bag might be filled with snacks intended for them. They have become quite a tourist draw down on our end of town.
My Growing Up In Bandera days have become a little more dangerous since I began my morning walking routine after retirement. I've had a few close calls with vehicles driven by people who are more concerned with their time schedule than my existence. Can you believe they don't even yield to the geese and ducks coming off the river every morning to eat the cat food up on 11th street provided by animal lovers? What has caused such a change in our laid back Bandera lifestyle from back in the day?
#185 2019
The way things are going I will soon be getting lost in a place where I lived almost my entire life. What's wrong with directions like, "Turn right by the Evans house and keep going until you get to the Turner place where the road makes a 90 degree turn.” GPS might be the new modern way to get somewhere if you have an address but it sure as heck ain't gonna tell you who lives in the house where you need to turn.
One of the things I truly miss about "the old days" around Bandera is the way I was greeted as a kid entering a local business. Very few people didn't know me by name. In these modern times I am known around town by lots of different names I'm told.
As I make my morning rounds along main street I sometimes tap on a window when I see someone inside busy at work. I almost always get a big smile and wave in return and that makes my morning a little brighter.
Human connections aren't the only daily encounters I have while walking the streets of our town. I see those roosters who hang around the restaurants like panhandlers looking for a handout. Meanwhile back at his home the hen is busy herding chicks reminding me of what my mother must have endured with her brood back in the day.
The deer which are common along every street and in all areas of town don't shy away more than a few feet as I pass by where they are grazing. Most will even walk toward me thinking my litter bag might be filled with snacks intended for them. They have become quite a tourist draw down on our end of town.
My Growing Up In Bandera days have become a little more dangerous since I began my morning walking routine after retirement. I've had a few close calls with vehicles driven by people who are more concerned with their time schedule than my existence. Can you believe they don't even yield to the geese and ducks coming off the river every morning to eat the cat food up on 11th street provided by animal lovers? What has caused such a change in our laid back Bandera lifestyle from back in the day?
#185 2019