Growing Up in Bandera

One of the things that old age has taught me is the fact that even a poor man can be rich. It doesn't always take money to equal wealth. Just to know that I grew up in Bandera and the surrounding area makes me feel like I landed on easy street many years ago even though my bank accounts might have said otherwise at times.

I received an education from some of my elders that no amount of money could buy. There are things I was taught that a value can't be placed on or that ever could be taught in a classroom. There was no diploma involved, only lessons to be learned and passed on.

Other than P.E. I never had John Wilton as a teacher but I learned more from him about the stars and planets sitting on a dock while night fishing for crappie than I ever did in any schoolroom. When the night sky is clear and the stars are bright I think about my friend and remember how much he enjoyed fishing and sharing his knowledge.

I honed my fishing skills along the banks of the Medina River at an early age. I was often alone as it seemed my friends didn't possess that passion I had burning inside me. Later when I advanced to fishing out of a boat on Medina Lake I studied and remembered every stump, fence line and underwater creek bed that would hold bass. I added to my memory bank everything I learned on every trip. Good or bad there is always a lesson to be learned. It served as a savings account to fall back on in difficult times.

Country living allows a person to experience the changes in nature that come with each new season. I can watch from my front porch the life cycles of the whitetail deer. The rut in the fall usually begins with the arrival of the first cold fronts. This is preceded by the bucks trying to destroy all the little sapling trees around the area in an effort to remove the velvet from their antlers. Soon after that the does will be running in all directions while the bucks fight over who gets to give chase. The best time for observing and taking pictures is late spring when the fawns start to arrive. The sight seeing tourist traffic increases significantly in our neighborhood at this time too.

The blessings of being born into a life allowing a closeup view of nature and all the beautiful landscapes in the Texas Hill Country has to be one of God's greatest gifts to this country boy while I was Growing Up In Bandera.

Editor’s note: The pre-order period for Glenn Clark’s Growing Up in Bandera book is coming to a close! Order your copy today for $20 by calling 830-796-3718 or visiting our office.