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January 4, 2022
Growing Up In Bandera
By Glenn Clark
The Bandera Prophet
Living in the same neighborhood where I grew up has meant a lifetime of loving memories and times of sadness for me. The memories associated with people and places from the distant past can be very emotional at times. Some of what once were homes where my friends lived are now houses occupied by total strangers.
Luckily most of my close neighbors are friends I have know most of my life or just good friendly newer folks. But just like back in the day Bandera we have a few scattered about who are best described as "obviously not from around here.” My advice if you want to get to know any new neighbors is just have a garage sale. The friendly ones will hang around and visit for a bit just to get to know you.
When you drop off the hill at 6th and Pecan you will come to a bridge crossing the river in the area where I spent a good bit of my young life learning all about the local habitat. Long before that bridge showed up the old gravel road at that point made a sharp 90-degree turn to the right which led to the Old Mayan Ranch Road bridge. I was well into my adult years before I became aware of the official Schmidtke Road designation even though I knew of some Schmidtkes living out in that area.
If a person will just stop and listen when nature is speaking it can be rewarding. As I was digging worms or catching minnows for fishing bait along that portion of the river and the squirrels began chattering I knew someone was walking down the road if there was no sound of an approaching vehicle. I would quickly find my way to the roadside to make myself visible in case it was Mr. Deskin making his daily walk along the river with a pocketful of candy. He always offered to share when I would unexpectedly encounter him on an almost daily basis during the summer.
When the Hay Boys, as my mom called them, were down on the river with their old dump truck and front end loader getting topsoil to sell all sounds of nature were drowned out so I had to use my keen sense of timing to ensure a chance encounter with Mr. Deskin so I could get a root beer barrel or tootsie roll candy.
For me as a kid Growing Up In Bandera, my life on the river and my life in the neighborhood were just a short distance apart but they were entirely different worlds. I had the best of both. I look at that as a blessing of my early childhood in Bandera. Sadly in these modern times those two worlds have collided.
GLENN CLARK #314
Luckily most of my close neighbors are friends I have know most of my life or just good friendly newer folks. But just like back in the day Bandera we have a few scattered about who are best described as "obviously not from around here.” My advice if you want to get to know any new neighbors is just have a garage sale. The friendly ones will hang around and visit for a bit just to get to know you.
When you drop off the hill at 6th and Pecan you will come to a bridge crossing the river in the area where I spent a good bit of my young life learning all about the local habitat. Long before that bridge showed up the old gravel road at that point made a sharp 90-degree turn to the right which led to the Old Mayan Ranch Road bridge. I was well into my adult years before I became aware of the official Schmidtke Road designation even though I knew of some Schmidtkes living out in that area.
If a person will just stop and listen when nature is speaking it can be rewarding. As I was digging worms or catching minnows for fishing bait along that portion of the river and the squirrels began chattering I knew someone was walking down the road if there was no sound of an approaching vehicle. I would quickly find my way to the roadside to make myself visible in case it was Mr. Deskin making his daily walk along the river with a pocketful of candy. He always offered to share when I would unexpectedly encounter him on an almost daily basis during the summer.
When the Hay Boys, as my mom called them, were down on the river with their old dump truck and front end loader getting topsoil to sell all sounds of nature were drowned out so I had to use my keen sense of timing to ensure a chance encounter with Mr. Deskin so I could get a root beer barrel or tootsie roll candy.
For me as a kid Growing Up In Bandera, my life on the river and my life in the neighborhood were just a short distance apart but they were entirely different worlds. I had the best of both. I look at that as a blessing of my early childhood in Bandera. Sadly in these modern times those two worlds have collided.
GLENN CLARK #314