Seguin Magazine — April/May 2018

A u t h e n t i c

T e x a s

l i v i n g

April | May 2018

Enjoy the beauty of

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Hotshot’s Reunion & Seguin Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Fundraiser

“COME RAIN OR SHINE, IT’S FISH FRY TIME!”

Friday, May 18th Starcke Park Pavilion

Dine-in 5-8pm · Drive-Thru 5-6:30pm Raffle -Lawn Wagon filled with Beverages Live Music

Eileen’s Special Fried Cod, French Fries, Green Bean Salad & Cole Slaw Desserts & Hot Dogs from Leadership Seguin to benefit their Community Service Project and Seguin Area Youth Leadership Academy.

Purchase Tickets Early! Limited Sales Day of Event. No Refunds.

Tickets at the Chamber Office or Online at seguinchamber.com & Seguin Gazette

830-379-6382 · 116 N. Camp

Rain Location: Fairgrounds Dance Slab

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SPA

Vol. 4, No. 6 Seguin magazine is published six times a year by the Seguin Gazette.

GENERAL MANAGER

SEGUIN FAMILY MEDICINE MEDISPA WITH DR. NICOLE TALBOT

Elizabeth Engelhardt CREATIVE DIRECTOR/ DESIGN EDITOR

Hannah Ruiz EDITOR

Travis Webb

MICROBLADING

GRAPHIC DESIGN

ADVERTISING

Becca Harrison

Gay Lynn Olsovsky Brooke Kuchercka

WRITERS

Felicia Frazar Valerie Bustamante Priscilla Aguirre Kati R. Waxler

TO ADVERTISE IN SEGUIN MAGAZINE CALL

830-379-5402 STORY IDEAS seguinmagazine@ seguingazette.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Rob Sawyer Jeff Fowler Elizabeth Fowler

EYELASH EXTENSIONS

SEARCH SEGUIN GAZETTE All material herein c. 2017 Southern Newspapers Inc., dba The Seguin Gazette, 1012 Schriewer Road, Seguin, TX, 78155.

All rights reserved

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An inside look from our WRITERS...

“I love telling stories. But anyone who knows me well also knows how much I love salsa. That made this particular edition especially delightful to work on — and delicious!”

— Travis Webb

“Talking to Dori and James Damerau about tractor pulls and what these events mean to their family was interesting, but getting to witness it first hand was a fun experience. From the father-daughter duo on the track to her mother videotaping on the sideline and her grandparents taking a break from their volunteer duties to watch, it was truly a family affair worth seeing first-hand.”

— Felicia Frazar

“It was interesting taking a tour of the Habitable Spaces property and meeting Alison and Shane. I enjoyed learning about what it is they do. The thought of mixing art and farming is genius. My favorite part was meeting their goats and seeing the art pieces past residents designed.”

- Valerie Bustamante

6

Seguin ~ Authentic Texas living

H

owdy!

My name is Elizabeth Engelhardt and I’m the new General Manager of the Seguin Gazette. I am not new to the Gazette, as I have served as the Advertising Director since September 2016. Before that, I had been in advertising at our sister paper in New Braunfels since April 2013. Guadalupe County has been our home for the past 6 years and we have loved every minute of it.

I have been married to my college sweetheart, Brian, since 2007.

Our two children, Aiden (9) and Mason (6) participate in many local activities including sports, 4H and the Guadalupe County Youth Livestock Show. We enjoy traveling, live music, spending time with friends and family, and above all Fightin’ Texas Aggie Football.

But enough about me, I can’t wait for you to read this exciting new issue of Seguin Magazine.

As we gear up for Seguin Magazine to become a monthly publication in June, we are introducing you to several new features.

In this issue, you will find our new Day Tripper segment, which takes place at the breathtaking Enchanted Rock State Park. We’ll be bringing you adventures from all around the area that are only a short drive away. We also have our fan favorites; Closet CloseUp, Under the Hood, a stunning sunset fashion shoot and much, much more.

We hope you enjoy this beautiful new issue of Seguin Magazine; we have a lot of fun meeting new people and sharing their stories with you. Now go on and turn the page, you’re going to love it!

Elizabeth Engelhardt

Proudly serving Seguin, New Braunfels, Lake McQueeney and the surrounding lake and river communities

Debbie Freeman Brown

Jay Crowell

Tamandra Elliott

Don Ennis

Julie Ennis

Fanny Harkins

Eve Hiner

Kenneth Holder

Ken Kiel

Cynthia Leos

Karen McMillan

Brannon Monkerud

Cynde Parker

Lea Phelps

Kelley Rose

Celina Ross

Carol Sewell

Matt Skinner

Mike Stevens

Trey Thompson

Willie Velรกsquez

James Walker

Jordan Lippe Walker

Lynn Zarr, Sr.

Susan Schmidt Office Manager

Stephanie Besett Ryan Sales Manager

Not pictured from Seguin: Cindy Olvera

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22

12

42

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18 Features

Around Town

In Each Issue

28 Salsa

12 Be You – Be Well /

10 Sizzlin’ Five

34 Community Gardens

Day Tripper

22 Fashion

42 Tractor Pulls

18 Closet Close-up

52 Faces of Seguin

46 Habitable Spaces

32 Culinary Creations

57 Favorite Finds

40 Under the Hood

8

Seguin ~ Authentic Texas living

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9

SIZZLINFIVE

Five events you don’t want to miss

April 6th

MOONliGHt AND rOSeS

Enjoy a night of music in the Memorial Rose Garden, during the annual Moonlight and Roses event. The evening includes light hors d’oeuvres and an awards ceremony. This year’s event is set for 7 p.m. on April 6.

April 21th

relAy FOr liFe

Guadalupe County Relay For Life is coming, taking over Central Park for this year’s venture. Guadalupe County residents are invited to participate in the American Cancer Society’s largest fundraising campaign starting at 4 p.m. on April 21 by walking laps and visiting vendor booths set up by area businesses, organizations and individual groups in an effort to raise money for the cause.

April 28theArtH DAy CeleBrAtiON

Area businesses, organizations and individuals gather in Central Park to show off how they are making Seguin a little greener during the annual Earth Day Celebration. The event is pair up with the city’s Trade Days and offers up children’s activities, entertainment, music and more. This year’s event is set for April 28.

May 18th

HOtSHOt’S reUNiON

The Seguin Area Chamber of Commerce continues a local tradition with the Hotshots Reunion and Fish Fry at 5 p.m. on May 18 at the Starcke Park Pavilion. The event will include Hotshot’s famous cod dinners with, French fries, Eileen’s green bean salad, cole slaw and all of the trimmings. Desserts and drinks will be available for purchase and the dance slab will be open for dancing with a local band taking the stage.

May 19th

BADGeS, BiKeS AND tyKeS

The Seguin Police Department and Seguin Fire Department are once again joining forces to bring the community together for a picnic at 10 a.m. on May 19 in Starcke Park. The event marks the end of National Police Week and brings together local law enforcement officers, firefighters and children together for an afternoon of fun and games, and a bicycle give-a-way.

They Call It

Enchanted BE YOU BE WELL & DAY TRIPPER

By JeFF FOWler

Getting There:

from Seguin, TX-46 north to I-35, I-35 north to exit 191, north (left) on FM-306 to FM-484 (about 21 miles), right on FM-484 to FM-32 (Fischer), left on FM-32 to US-281, north (right) on US-281 to RR-1623 (Blanco), west (left) on RR-1623 to RR-1888 (about 5 miles), west (left) on RR-1888 to RR-1376, north (right) on RR-1376 to US-290, west (left) on US-290 into Fredericksburg, north (right) on RR-965 (N. Milam St.) to Enchanted Rock State Natural Area (about 17 miles on your left)

Park hours – 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily Admission fee – adults $7, children 12 and under free, or use your Texas State Parks Pass ($70) for unlimited free entry to all parks Activities – hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, geocaching, birdwatching, picnicking, star gazing, nature studies and camping.

A

pril is a great time to think about getting out and exploring some of the gems that make up the Texas State Parks system, and Enchanted Rock State Natural Area is a perfect place to start. Located only 17 miles north of Fredericksburg, the park is an easy day trip from Seguin and offers unique landscapes and a variety of activities close to home.

If you plan to enjoy this natural wonder, you’ll want to make sure to get an early start. The rock is a little more than two hours away, not accounting for time waiting in line at the entrance, and the park frequently reaches capacity early in the day on weekends and holidays. Plan on being at the park before 9 a.m. to be sure you get in.

When you catch your first glimpse of Enchanted Rock, there is no doubt you’ve reached your destination. This unique geological feature rises up out of the surrounding countryside like a giant pink granite anthill. The tiny specks of humanity crawling around on the surface only add to this image.

There are a number of legends surrounding the rock.

Comanche and Tonkawa tribes believed it to be a magical, spiritual place, and there are tales of it being haunted by various spirits. Additionally, the rock glitters at night and can sometimes be heard creaking and groaning and it’s easy to see how it came to be known as enchanted.

Of course, we now know that the “ghost fires” are just the moonlight reflecting off of the feldspar and pools of collected water and that the screams are just the rock creaking as it contracts on a cool night following a warm day.

Right?

Most visitors to the rock come with the intention of climbing to the summit. It can be a strenuous climb, particularly on a hot afternoon when temperatures on the exposed surface can reach well into the triple digits with very little relief from any kind of shade. Your best bet is to try the

summit early or late in the day. Be sure to use sunscreen and take plenty of water with you regardless of the time. If you plan to climb to the summit, leave your four-legged friends at home.

While dogs are allowed in the park, they are not permitted on the summit trail.

The base of the summit trail is clearly marked, however, as you make your way higher it opens up and you can choose your own path. The summit is about 1,825 feet in elevation, but a climb of only about 425 vertical feet from the base. Sometimes it seems like you’re almost to the top, then another rise appears in front of you. If you want to make sure you’ve reached the summit, look for the U.S. Geological Survey marker at the top.

Aside from the burning thighs and a general sense of accomplishment upon reaching the summit, you are rewarded with awesome panoramic views for miles in every direction.

Take some time to soak it in and explore the summit area.

If you look over towards Buzzard’s Roost and Freshman Mountain, you’ll probably see rock

climbers clinging to the side of a cliff. In fact, if you look around you you’ll probably see people equipped with helmets, ropes and carabiners who either came up the sheer back side of the rock or are about to descend that way or both. The top is also a good place to have a little picnic or even try some yoga.

If you’re feeling adventurous, start making your way down the back side of the rock and look for the entrance to the cave. You have to hunt for it. There aren’t any direction signs or markers, but you’ll know when you’ve found it. I’d recommend a headlamp before proceeding any further, but I’ve seen people navigate parts of it using just the little bit of light that seeps through the cracks and open spaces in the rock. It seems the farther you go, though, the darker each new room gets.

It’s not really what most of us think of when we think of a cave. It is what is known as a talus cave. It is basically a crack in the rock that was gradually filled in by huge boulders and debris but left enough room to move around in underneath. If you suffer from claustrophobia or arachnophobia, you might want to think twice before going in.

Once inside, there are arrows painted on the rocks to help you make your way through. There is no need to backtrack to make your way out, and there are several exit points along the way. If you stick with it until the very end, it turns out to be much more than you would have expected.

Once you’re done exploring the summit, it’s time to start making your way back down to explore the other eight or so miles of trail. You don’t have to descend all the way to the bottom to pick up a new one.

About halfway down you can pick up Echo Canyon Trail, which veers off to the right down between Little Rock and Enchanted Rock. A little further down you can catch Frontside Trail, which heads off to the left and connects with Turkey Pass Trail.

From either of those intersections, you can access the rest of the trails in the park. Of course, you can also head all the way back to the parking area where on most weekends and sometimes during the week you can grab a snow cone or some

AUTHENTIC TEXAS LIVING ~ SEGUIN 15

other treat before heading out on the 4.5 - mile Loop Trail that takes you all the way around the park. Whatever you decide, after the challenging Summit Trail, the rest are fairly moderate.

Once you’ve had your fill of Enchanted Rock, it’s time to head back into Fredericksburg for a well-deserved meal and beverages of your choice. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from, and you’re sure to find one you like.

A couple of my personal favorite are the Fredericksburg Brewing Company and the Buffalo Nickel Bar and Grill.

Fredericksburg Brewing Company bills itself as the

16 SEGUIN ~ AUTHENTIC TEXAS LIVING

oldest brewpub in Texas and offers small-batch house brews and a menu selection of German and Texan comfort food favorites. I can highly recommend the Bison Chips and the Smokin’ Blue Burger at the Buffalo Nickel, paired with an ice-cold beer from Real Ale Brewery.

Of course, Fredericksburg offers a variety of unique shopping opportunities as well. Wherever you end up and whatever you decide, Fredericksburg is a great final stop before you head home.

A perfect ending to a perfect day.

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CLOSET CLOSE-UP

DR. Matthew

By VAlerie BUStAMANte

Gutierrez W

hen seen at the school district or community event, Seguin ISD’s newest superintendent, Dr. Matthew Gutierrez, is always well put together and dressed to impress.

However, Gutierrez’s professional attire isn’t just the classic business style, but instead follows more trendy fashions he picked up while living in the Dallas area.

“I’d say in Dallas, as far as business professional look you find more of the slim fit look and really good, quality tailoring when it comes to suits,” he said. “I don’t wear a lot of bow ties, but you see a lot of bow ties there and the trendy socks. Shoes are a big thing there too, so it wasn’t uncommon to see a pretty eclectic like shoes (paired) with suits.”

Since his position requires him to be dressed in professional attire most of the time Gutierrez opts for slim fitted suits, trendy dress socks and one of the ties from his endless collection.

For his suits, Gutierrez said he’s very particular.

“I’m very picky about suits. I’ve tried a lot of different brands,” he said. “A suit can make me look boxy and that drives me nuts. I tend to stick to the same brand or brands.

If I want a very fitted suit I go to Suite Supply and there’s one in Dallas. Their suits are a very unique fitted look.”

Aside from Suit Supply, Gutierrez enjoys perusing the racks of Banana Republic.

“They’re good quality and I’ve tried a variety of suits, but I 18 SEGUIN ~ AUTHENTIC TEXAS LIVING

find, for the price of a Banana suit you get good quality that lasts for awhile,” he said. “I tend to take really good care of mine.

There’s some that I’ve had for probably 10 years or so. If you take care of them they can last a long time. Ever since I was a kid I’ve always been very particular about my things. I feel like a suit is an investment and I take care of my investments.”

For his dress shirts, Gutierrez said he likes shopping

at Brooks Brothers.

“Brooks Brothers can be a little pricey … $90 for a dress shirt, but those last for a few years,” he said. “There’s also ones you don’t have to take to the dry cleaner. You can stick in the dryer and it comes pressed. It ends up saving you money in the end because it lasts forever, you don’t have to take it to the dry clean. Banana Republic’s dress shirts fit very well too because they’re fitted. So I tend to gravitate towards their dress shirts like the suits.”

Gutierrez said he’s very loyal

about certain brands for certain pieces of clothing, which is why he sticks to Nike for athletic shoes and Johnston and Murphy for professional ones.

“Johnston and Murphy shoes are good quality,” Gutierrez said. “I used to make fun of friends maybe seven or eight years ago because I used to think it was for old men, but I actually tried a pair and they’re very comfortable. They last if you take really good care of them.”

Johnston and Murphy also is where Gutierrez picks up his belts.

“I’m very particular about belts. The belts have to match the shoes I’m wearing,” he said. “The great thing about Johnston and Murphy is they have the belts to match the shoes. If I buy a pair of shoes I have to make an investment and buy the belt as well.”

As for color, Gutierrez said he tends to stick to the same color scheme — blues.

“You know it’s hard to find another color when it comes to business wear and it turns out to be my favorite color anyway,” he said. “I have a lot of blue ties, shirts, navy suits, my athletic gear is mostly blue. My athletic shoes I tend to gravitate toward blue.”

When he’s not in the office, Gutierrez’s weekend picks or what he calls “street wear” tends to be a t-shirt and blue jeans.

“My weekend attire is very different. In fact, not many people recognize me.

When they see me in street clothes — which is usually jeans and I try to wear cool looking shoes, a t-shirt and ball cap. No one knows it’s me,” Gutierrez said.

Athletic gear also is a very important part in

AUTHENTIC TEXAS LIVING ~ SEGUIN 19

Gutierrez’s closet.

“I’m pretty big into fitness,” he said.

“I try to fit in time to get my fitness in. Of course that’s been a challenge getting into the superintendency, but I think I’m getting better at building it into gaps I have during the day or after an evening event.

I like athletic shoes, too, and I have a variety of those.”

Gutierrez said his closet ranges from professional to trendy urban and athletic.

Ties and ball caps are two of Gutierrez’s largest church,” collections in his wardrobe. Lately, skinny ties have been his he said. pick of the bunch.

“We never “I have many ties and there all very special so I tend not to went out in public get rid of them,” he said. “That tends to be what people go not not dressed … I to for a gift. I also have a variety of caps. I like the flat bill mean at least jeans and caps mostly. In fact, I had a package waiting for me at the a polo. Our clothes had to front door and it was a cap. So I do have a few and I feel like be ironed and pressed. She had my collection has grown over the years.” us ironing our own clothes at a very Gutierrez dedicates his appreciation of clothing and young age in elementary school. She always always being well put together to his mom. wanted to make sure we were well put together.

“I think it was instilled in my mom. My mom has four boys My mom is always dressed very nicely so I think it and she always made sure we were dressed for school or was just instilled in me.”

20 Seguin ~ Authentic Texas living

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Justin is wearing Roper men’s long-sleeve blue tile print button shirt $45.99, Wrangler Rock 47 men’s slim fit boot cut jean $69.99, and Horse Power boots in chocolate cayman exotic $349.99, all from La Vernia Country Store.

Lauren is wearing Women’s Wrangler Aqua Bell Sleeve Dress with Lace $35.99 with L&B ivory strappy dress $22.99 underneath. Circle G fringe cut-out ankle boots $110.99, silver rosary with cross & Cab $99.99, Pink Panache turquoise flower teardrop earrings $42.99, all from La Vernia Country Store.

Location: Allen Farmhaus Photographer: Rob Sawyer Photography Clothes: La Vernia Country Store Models: Lauren Brooke Gonzalez, Justin T. Marmolejo

Lauren Is wearing Wrangler women’s cream embroidered cold shoulder shirt $35.99, Wrangler dark wash capri pants $45.99, Circle G fringe cut-out ankle boots $110.99 all from La Vernia Country Store. Jon Hart Daisy natural leather handbag $144, Kendra Scott Danielle earrings $75, Waxing Poetic boho soul necklace in taupe $110 with Eveningstar pendant $110, Lizzy James metal and bronze wrap bracelet, from Gift & Gourmet.

Justin is wearing Rock & Roll Denim short sleeve tee $31.99, Ariat cap $26.99, Wrangler Rock 47 men’s sim fit boot cut jean $69.99, and Horse Power boots in chocolate caiman exotic $349.99, all from La Vernia Country Store.

Justin is wearing Ariat ione turquoise shirt $40.99, Wrangler Rock 47 men’s sim fit boot cut jean $69.99, and Horse Power boots in chocolate caiman exotic $349.99, all from La Vernia Country Store.

Lauren is wearing Ariat womens black marina top with lace sleeves #30.99, L&B turquise sheer kimono $28.99, Wrangler retro skirt $36.99, Rodeo Quincy Isabella boot $99.99 from La Vernia Country store.

Kendra Scott Dean necklace $65, Aragon earrings $80 & Inez neckalce $90, from Gift & Gourmet.

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Authentic Texas living ~ Seguin 27

h s e r F

y l i Fam s n o i t i d a Tr T

By trAViS WeBB

hey say you can’t spell “South Texas” without salsa.

Well, OK — that’s not actually true and nobody says that, but there’s no denying the impact of Mexican cuisine on the culinary history of the area.

Chili, now a common staple all across the United States, began just down the road in San Antonio. The “Chili Queens” would set up shop at makeshift stalls and peddle the hearty dish – often served with a side of beans and tortillas — for a mere pittance.

And it wasn’t all that long ago that the Alamo City and Austin had themselves a little disagreement over which metropolis could lay claim to having the best breakfast tacos.

Regular readers of The Seguin Gazette might recall that some Guadalupe County residents had their own opinion on the matter.

Queso, formerly a Tex-Mex specialty confined largely to Texas and the rest of the American Southwest, has spread

across the country, making waves as a culinary trend.

But there is perhaps no south-of-the-border dish so beloved — and so wildly varied — as salsa.

Even a quick perusal of the internet will turn up countless varieties of the spicy stand-by.

There’s salsa roja, or “red sauce”, which is frequently used as a condiment and usually includes cooked tomatoes, chili peppers, onions, garlic, and fresh cilantro. Then there’s pico de gallo, also known as salsa fresca or salsa picada, which is made with raw tomatoes, lime juice, chiles, onions, cilantro leaves, and other coarsely chopped ingredients.

And of course, we mustn’t forget salsa verde, a green sauce made with tomatillos.

But that’s not even scratching the surface. Going all the way back to the Mayan civilization and having spread from Mexico and Central America to the rest of the globe, salsa has undergone numerous permutations as chefs the world over have worked magic with this simple, spicy delicacy.

From mango’s to pineapples, there are dozens upon dozens of well-established variations. And, just like with breakfast AUTHENTIC TEXAS LIVING ~ SEGUIN 29

tacos, Seguin has some of the best around.

STARTING FRESH Locally, there’s plenty of options when it comes to finding some quality picante. Nonetheless, a few names standout — places like Garcia’s Mexican Food Restaurant, this year’s Best of the Best winner in the Best Salsa category, or runner-up El Ranchito.

Garica’s co-owner Rick Vasquez says the key to their superb salsa is freshness.

“It’s very simple really. Fresh ingredients, made fresh every day,” he said.

“We start fresh every day.”

Of course, losing out on any leftover salsa isn’t the most cost-effective method, but Rick says the quality and freshness more than makes up for the loss.

“It’s a balance you have to find,” he said. “You take a bit of a hit, having to throw things out every night, but that fact that it keeps that door revolving, that’s huge.”

General manager Julisa Reyna said staff members arrive at 4 a.m. — sometimes even earlier — every day to begin making a new batch.

“We make it fresh every day and that’s a huge difference,” she said.

Of course, with the wide range of salsa available at restaurants and on the shelves of your local grocery story, there’s a variety for each and every palette. But for Rick, it’s all about Garcia’s.

“There’s so many different kinds of salsa,” he said. “But I, personally, love ours. You can just eat it by the quart.”

FAMILY TRADITION For Rick and his wife Sandra though, fresh salsa is about more than business: It’s a family tradition.

The first Garcia’s restaurant was founded nearly 30 years ago in San Marcos by Sandra’s parents, Curtis and Antonia Garcia.

That family connection is more than just a good story though — it’s directly tied to the taste of nearly every dish at Garcia’s, including their 30 Seguin ~ Authentic Texas living

famous salsas.

Rick said many of the restaurant’s oldest recipes are prepared the same way Antonia used to make them at home.

Curtis, too, played an active role is perfecting the taste of certain items.

Julisa said the chain’s founder would often weigh in on just how specific items should be, right down to the seasoning.

He’s even credited with the creation of the chain’s popular “breakfast salsa” — an extra spicy version of their regular salsa blended with roasted toma-

tillos.

“He just wanted a something a little spicier,” Rick said.

Curtis, down on his luck amid the recession of the late 1980s, was desperate for work. A friend in the restaurant business suggested he open his own establishment.

“When my father-in-law opened the first restaurant, he had no experience,” Rick said. “His friend said, ‘you know how to make rice and beans?’”

Of course, the restaurant business can be a tough one — and the early days of the original, San Marcos loca-

tion were no exception.

“They nearly closed a couple of times, it took more than 5 years of blood, sweat and tears,” Rick said.

“Now you see this successful restaurant chain, but (Curtis), he never saw that, where we are now. That all of his kids would have their own restaurants.

“He was just a man trying to put food on the table.”

HOT STUFF Although freshness might be the single most important factor is creating quality salsa, there’s a lot of aspects that count as well.

“Consistency is important, too,” Julisa said.

Garcia’s even goes so far as to ensure that each of their nine restaurants uses a handful of designated employees to make each batch, helping to ensure a consistent product.

The restaurant also will throw out any batch that doesn’t meet their standards when it comes to a taste test.

And of course, chips and salsa is an iconic duo and it pays to make sure both are done right.

“Obviously, what goes with the salsa?

The chips,” Rick said.

The restaurant has even gone so far as working with their chip supplier to craft a special chip designed to pair perfectly with their in-house salsas.

“If it’s the wrong chip, people will notice,” Julisa said.

In fact, Rick attributes much of the restaurant’s valuable repeat business to the quality of their chips and salsa.

And maintaining that standard is one way of paying back loyal diners.

“We’ve got people that come eat here three, four times a week,” he said. “We care about our repeat customers. We like making them feel like family.”

That dedication has paid off — local salsa fanatics flock to Garcia’s and this year’s Best of the Best win is hardly their first.

“You can only make one first impression, and our salsa is our first impression,” Ricks said. “That’s why we put so much into it.”

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Chips L

and...

By trAViS WeBB

ocal Realtor and amateur salsa aficionado Wayne Windle knows his way around a bowl of chips.

Although Wayne’s family has a long and storied history here in Seguin (his mother, Janice Woods Windle, is the author of “True Women”), he spent much of his life growing up in El Paso.

“Growing up in El Paso, we put salsa on everything,” he said. “My family used to go to Mexico once a week to have dinner with friends and family in Juarez.”

Given these early memories from across the border, Wayne said he began attempting to make salsa when he was 12 or 13 — albeit without much success.

“My grandfather has a garden at his house here in Seguin,” he said. Wayne continues that tradition by growing many of the ingredients for his homemade salsas himself.

“Later, like everyone does in college, I was working in a restaurant owned, oddly enough, by (U.S. Senate candidate) Beto O’Rourke’s mom,” he said.

“I learned this at the restaurant from a woman named Kay.” While the original recipe calls for jalapenos and white onions, Wayne says he likes to keep things fresh by switching it up.

“Now I modify the recipe, based on different types of peppers and things, a variety of tomatoes and onions. Basically, whatever’s fresh and local.

“I’ve read a couple of cookbooks too, but they weren’t very helpful, to be honest.”

Additionally, with the variety of salsas and ingredients available, Wayne says salsa is hardly an exact science.

“It takes a little practice and you can’t ever really be exact. Ingredients can vary by look or texture.

The chilis might be hotter than usual,” he said. ”Honestly I think half the taste test is having the right chip.”

32 SEGUIN ~ AUTHENTIC TEXAS LIVING

Fresh

SALSA To recreate this particular batch of Wayne’s salsa, he recommends the following: 3-4 12 oz cans of tomato juice 1 tbs spoon of Himalayan salt Chile pequins to taste 10 medium tomatoes, diced 1 measuring cup of chopped green onion 2 full bundles of cilantro

tiPS: “the most important thing is using fresh ingredients.” “i like to get the onions and tomatoes under the tomato sauce first, along with half the salt.” you can use a variety of tomatoes: “Big beef, Medium red, red Cherries, even some golden or yellow tomatoes,” Wayne said. “But never Mr. Stripey, those are terrible.”

AUTHENTIC TEXAS LIVING ~ SEGUIN 33

Community Gardens

By KAti Waxler

T

here are many aspects to living a healthy lifestyle — physical activity, a well-rounded social life, a connection to nature and of course a healthy diet. For thousands of year now, gardening has been the inherent solution to these needs. In today’s society, it is challenging to find the opportunity to garden and maintain sustainability. Gardens require time and space, which many of us tend to run short on. Between the demands of work, school and children’s activities it is all too easy to turn to processed foods, avoid meeting new people, stay indoors and not work up a sweat.

Community Gardens are an elegant way to break 34 Seguin ~ Authentic Texas living

the cycle. Seguin is home to several of these projects, which help people to connect with nature, their community and themselves. From vegetable gardens to floral pollinator gardens, they have all gained momentum in recent seasons.

One of the gardens is maintained by the Seguin League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).

Garden manager Ricardo Guerra said the garden started as an answer to LULAC members who wanted to learn about diabetes prevention.

“We has a class on diabetes and one thing that we all came to understand is that we all need to have more vegetables in our diets,” Guerra said. “So we thought

The LULAC Community Garden is located across from Teatro de Artes de Juan Seguin at West New Braunfels Street.

a garden where we could all help maintain it and all reap the benefits would be a good start.”

Guerra said he never expected the garden to gain as much support as it has.

“There were a lot of questions that we had starting off, you know,” Guerra said. “So members of the community gave us advice on things that they’ve grown for years. Where to plant, when to plant, how to prevent pests with natural alternatives ... all of these things are coming from people who figured it out before you could just google the answers.”

The LULAC community garden has a variety of vegetables, such as cabbage, lettuce, broccoli and radishes, and also features peach trees, Japanese persimmons

and fig trees, donated by the Woodmen of the World Seguin Chapter.

Guerra said that people from all walks of life come to participate in the maintenance of the garden.

“We have volunteers from Texas Lutheran come help, members of different organizations. We also have a lot of little kids coming out to learn about it, and they’re learning that some of the food they didn’t even know were plants are actually very easy to grow.”

The group Guerra said benefits the most is the elderly.

“The older generation of people come out here to get their vegetables,” Guerra said. “They might not be able to plow their own gardens and do the heavy AUTHENTIC TEXAS LIVING ~ SEGUIN 35

lifting, but they come here and talk about farms they grew up on and they contribute in their own ways.”

Emanuel’s Lutheran Church and Emanuel’s Day School also maintain a community garden in the heart of Seguin. Day school director Deb Haug said the project has been in the works for a long time.

“The Garden of Eatin’ has been in operation for about six years, but the idea goes back much farther,” Haug said. “A group of some congregation members from Emanuel’s Lutheran Church wanted to have a community garden. One of our teachers, Lanette Janz, 36 Seguin ~ Authentic Texas living

joined with my husband, Mike Haug, and they worked to make a plot of land that belonged to Emanuel’s into an educational garden.”

Since then, the garden has offered blessings in many forms, Haug said.

“People come together, especially in the summer, to work in the garden. We have the main garden which is open to the community, but we also have a smaller part sectioned off for the children at the Day School.”

Vegetables aren’t necessarily the first subject that you’d expect children to be interested in, but Haug

said that most people would be surprised to get a glimpse into “the Garden of Eatin’.”

“If you want to see kids eat kale and spinach and broccoli, this is where they do that,” Haug said. “If they grow it, they’ll eat it. They’ve put in all of that hard work so they see the vegetables as a reward. And Ms. Janz is really good about incorporating it into the curriculum.”

In the garden, the preschoolers learn basic math principles, measuring, vocabulary and even some science experiments.

And the excess vegetables that the children and other community members don’t eat?

AUTHENTIC TEXAS LIVING ~ SEGUIN 37

“Well the kids load up their wagons with everything that needs to be picked, and we take a walk to the Christian Cupboard. So they learn a lot more than composting and harvesting — they learn how to improve their community.”

In fact, Haug said the children’s hard work was rec-

38 Seguin ~ Authentic Texas living

ognized during last year’s Earth Day celebrations.

“The kids in Ms. Janz’s class won the prize for the group most likely to save the Earth. And that’s because they are learning about sustainable lifestyles — not just once a year or as a block of instruction but every single day they are being more green.”

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Authentic Texas living ~ Seguin 39

UNDER

THE HOOD:

1953 John Deere 60 Tractor

40 SEGUIN ~ AUTHENTIC TEXAS LIVING

1953 John Deere 60 John Deere 60s were made from 1952 to 1956.

Engine: 312 cubic inch 2 cylinder Chassis: 4x2 2WD Steering: manual

Doriann Damerau, 19, of Marion Dori was gifted the 1953 John Deere 60 tractor that was originally purchased by her grandfather, Roger Beirstedt. The hand-medown tractor serves a dual purpose for the Damerau family — to help on the family farm and compete in antique tractor pulls.

AUTHENTIC TEXAS LIVING ~ SEGUIN 41

PUT IT To WORK:

By FeliCiA FrAZAr

D

oriann “Dori” Damerau grew up on her family’s farm learning the ins and outs of the business.

From the time she was little, she was in the fields working alongside her parents and grandparents.

“This is our everything. This is what we grew up around, this is what I know.

That is what I choose to live by. I like the agriculture,” she said. “If you ate today, you better be thanking a farmer because if that farmer wasn’t here, you wouldn’t be eating.”

Along the way, the 19-year-old Blinn College student picked up a thing or two about farming and ranching, including how to drive a tractor.

42 SEGUIN ~ AUTHENTIC TEXAS LIVING

Tractor Pull

Farmall,’” he said.

“Dori makes the fifth generation to The modern version the same drive them,” father James Damerau concept, however, the tractors have said. aged.

However, those skills aren’t just Dori’s grandfather Roger Bierstedt, for farm use. Dori, along with many members of her family, participates in who is also an event organizer for the Annual Tri-County Antique Tractor antique tractor pulls.

Pull, said events like these are brought “I don’t come home for sporting to the area specifically for tractors that events,” she said. “I come home for are 60 years old and older. tractor pulls and stock shows. That is Tractors are hooked up to a sled that it.” gets heavier the further it is pulled.

James said tractor pulls began as a “They’ve basically revolutionized way for neighbors to brag over who a way to put them on an even had the best farm equipment comparable surface,” James said.

“It started years ago when the Iron “Then they designed the sled with the Horse came out it was a competition weight transfer, the farther you drag, that started between neighbors — the more the weight transfers forward ‘My John Deere is better than your

and puts more pull to it. It became a competition.”

A tractor is judged by the distance it can travel in its class, Roger said.

“It is a weighted sled and the tractor goes by year model and then by the tractor’s weight, which can be as little as 3,000 or 4,000 up to 13,000 pounds,” he said. “There are no hot rods. There are a few ‘souped-up’ tractors that will pull in different classes. We’ll have some ladies pulling, young girls, young boys and of course all of the old-timers.”

Dori’s tractor — a 1953 John Deere 60 — is not only of the right age but one that has a special meaning to her as it was originally owned by her grandfather, Roger.

Roger sold the tractor in the late ´70s, but the family tracked it down in 2006 and discovered it was still running.

“We bought it back,” James said. “It did need some work. We fixed it up for him and got it working right. This tractor is pretty well the way it rolled off the assembly line.”

Once the tractor was back up to

speed, Roger began competing with it.

“I went and started pulling with it while I still had a chance to. My son-inlaw would take me and haul me,” Roger said. “It finally it got to where I was having trouble getting on and off the tractor, so it got parked out at my son-in-law’s. I told Doriann, and my daughter Gail (Damerau), y’all just keep that tractor out there, it’s y’alls.

Dori started to pull with it. I thought it was great. It tickled me to death.”

“It is pretty neat,” James said. “Now he has turned it over to her. It is her tractor. ” Dori’s tractor isn’t the only original equipment purchased by the family that has remained on the farm, James said.

“We have several that were purchased brand new and put into service on this farm,” he said. “They’ve never left the farm, except to go to tractor pulls. They’ve been hauled all over the state of Texas going to tractor pulls.

This one (Dori’s) came from my wife’s side of the family in Geronimo. It has a dual purpose. We still use it on the

farm, and then it pulls in the antique tractor pulls.”

By antique tractor pulling standards, Dori’s tractor can compete in Division I, James said.

“Meaning it is all original, no modifications,” he said. “We have made a minor adjustment, we changed the drop bar around a little bit, but nothing engine wise. It is all still original John Deere parts, electronics.

It still has the original generator.

Everything is still there. It has all of the original gauges, correct tire sizing.”

While tractor pulls are huge events in the Mid-West, James said they’ve only really picked up steam here in recent years.

“That competition took off and for years it was a really big draw in the ´70s and ´80s. The Tri-County Antique Tractor Pullers, based out of Rio Medina, started bringing antique tractor pulling somewhere in the late ´90s,” he said. “It kind of went away because it began getting more of the showy, high performance, hot rod presentations. Everybody is coming

AUTHENTIC TEXAS LIVING ~ SEGUIN 43

back. We’re starting to see more and more people come to the antique pulls, reminiscing. A lot of young people are starting to come by just to watch.”

Those who participate in the shows don’t do it for money, although they sometimes get trophies, James said.

“There’s no money. It’s just a show,” he said. “All we do is play for trophies.”

“They’re fun,” Dori added. “I’ve done well. We’ve had good days and bad days. It depends on the track. A lot of tracts are different.”

One of the things Dori likes about tractor pulls is the sense of community.

“I like the family. We’re like a large family,” she said. “Even though we 44 SEGUIN ~ AUTHENTIC TEXAS LIVING

James said he spends most of his come from all ranges, we know each other and we know our whole families. time operating the equipment and When something happens we are here watching Dori compete.

“We take turns driving tractors. Here for each other.”

Not only does the family participate lately, I just take the tractors and put in pulls, they also help organize some, her on them and let her drive them, as I usually operate the sled,” he said. including the annual Bulls ‘N Pulls “What I like best about it, is watching event in Marion. her drive grandpa’s, or great-grandpa’s “To me, this is life. Between tractor pulling and stock showing, this is what or great great-grandpa’s tractors. And just let her go up and down the track.” we do in our free time. Or better, we Dori said getting the opportunity to make time,” James said. “Myself, I’ve continue her family’s traditions, and to kind of have been put in charge of use the same pieces of equipment is the pull that we have here in Marion, priceless. the Bulls ‘N Pulls. I run the sled or “It’s good. There’s really no words to whatever equipment needs to be run. compare to it,” she said. “It is just one We spend lots of hours doing it, lots of those things I’m kind of speechless of travel time.”

B

old, brash, and passionate violinist Charles Yang is a Classical Music Rock Star. A child prodigy from Austin - the thirty something artist blazes onto the Mid-Texas Symphony stage on Sunday April 29th in Seguin taking on a concerto so difficult the violinist for whom it was written refused to play it! Fearless Charles takes on Samuel Barber’s Concerto for Violin with its lush, song-like passages in the first two movements and a vigorous, challenging finale. Conflict and serenity passionately performed by one of the best violinist in the world.

More than his exquisite touch, his flawless playing and his fine-tuned showmanship, Yang brings to the MTS stage a deep friendship with his long-time friend, mentor and now colleague, Maestro David Mairs.

So what a privilege to close out my time on the podium with a chance to work with Charles one more time. This time with the Concerto for Violin and Orchestra by Samuel Barber, the American who loved opera and wrote the famous Adagio for Strings. The Violin Concerto is filled with lush melodies, filled with passion and emotion just like Charles. It is however, in the final movement, where Barber introduces music that is so technically demanding that the violinist for whom it was written refused to perform it, we hear a frenetic outburst turned into a fabulous dance with a wink to the audience and orchestra; thank you, Charles!”

“I met Charles Yang when he was 12 years old. He was one of the winners of the Young Artists Competition of the Austin Symphony. His mother plays in that orchestra and he grew up in that city,” Mairs said. “Charles one of the soloists for the ASO’s High School concerts. Those concerts are performed in the auditoriums or, more frequently, in the GYMNASIUMS of the various high schools in Austin,” explains Mairs.

“Okay,” Mairs says with a conspiratorial wink, “sometimes the students were in attendance begrudgingly. So each time this young guy walked out to perform, with his buzz haircut and bow tie, threw a huge smile at me on the podium, and then performed a dazzling rendition of the 1st movement of Saint-Saens’ Second Violin Concerto, the semi-hostile audience would go nuts, cheering, smiling, and applauding what they just saw and heard. He turned these high school musical cynics into fans! And he made me realize I wanted him as my musical son!”

“Charles and I have done a number of performances together over the past fifteen plus years,” Mairs recalls, “with the Flint Symphony, but especially the Mid-Texas Symphony. Saint-Saens’ Second Sibelius, “Introduction and Rondo Capricioso,” Vivaldi’s “The Seasons,” and more Sibelius – these collaborations have been some of the most gratifying moments for me in my 31 years as a conductor.

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HABITABLE SPACES T R A G LIVIN

By VAlerie BUStAMANte

A

lison and Shane Heinemeyer were both living in an art collective in the middle of the fastpaced art world of New York City when they decided it was time for a change.

Art needed a new meaning — and they were determined to find it.

“Art becomes a commodity there, and both Shane and I felt that art should not be a commodity,” Alison said. “It should be something that everyone has access to. It shouldn’t be such a rarefied thing or specialty thing. It should be something that is in everyone’s life.”

Alison moved from Florida to further her sculpting and performing art career, while Shane left San Antonio to finish his undergraduate at

Pratt Institute and further his painting career.

The two moved to the Big Apple to be closer to the art scene just like many others. However, after living in the city for more than a decade, Alison said they began to wonder what was happening to the spaces people were leaving behind.

“It’s like if everyone goes to these urban spaces to make art, but then what’s happening in the spaces they left,” she said. “Are there no artists there?”

So the couple began brainstorming on what they could do.

“We were living in an artist collective in New York, so we were thinking about collective spaces,” Alison said. “The initial idea was to create a space with tons of movement

coming through with people from all over. We wanted to bring artists to the rural space so that there would be a dialogue between rural people who don’t necessarily get access to artists like that and for artists who tend to be in urban spaces.”

In 2011, the couple decided to take the art lifestyle to the rural environment by settling on 80 acres of a 160-acre property owned by various members of Shane’s family in Kingsbury.

“This area is very dear to Shane because this is his grandmother’s property and his grandparents grew up here.

When he was little he would come out here in the summertime so it had a lot of nostalgic feeling. It just made sense to come back to the family property to do this project.”

“I always wanted to live on the land and I used to say, ‘Oh when I’m older I’ll live out there.’ But why wait when I’m older to live in the country?” Shane said.

That was the start of Habitable Spaces, 3050 FM 1104, Kingsbury — a “501 (c)(3) community arts and agricultural project whose purpose is to create an integrated mutually beneficial environment where artists and the rural community can take classes, learn and share ideas.”

From the ground up When the Heinemeyer’s first moved to the property they were living in a 20-by-13-foot military tent with a wood burning stove, Alison said.

“It was wild! The tent was huge, but it was still a tent. It was rough. Everything that’s here we built,” Alison said.

“We moved on just forested land and we had to bring in water, electricity, get an address because we didn’t have an address. That was interesting because it’s like ‘how do you get an address?’ We really started from scratch and that was amazing to experience. I don’t think we quite realized how bare bones it would be. It’s kind of an artist’s goal to create every single thing that you’re surrounded with.”

Every single building that now sits on the Habitable Spaces property was

handmade by Alison and Shane.

“Even the roads out there, the gravel was dug up from the land and made into the road,” Alison said. “It was an awesome experience just forming something from nothing. The first building we made served as a kitchen, but now we just store feed in there. It was really the first time we had built a structure.”

The Heinemeyer’s tried to use as much reclaimed material as possible as they continue to add more buildings.

“The walls of the common house come from an old King William house in San Antonio, and some pieces came from a neighbor’s burn pile,” Shane said.

“Since we both are in the art handling world there’s a lot of plywood waste and good material to bring home. We definitely used a lot of art creates.”

The beams and tins roofs were the exceptions, Alison said.

“We try to use as much as reclaimed material as we can, which takes a lot longer, but it takes it out of the waste stream,” she said. “It’s interesting because you have to work around the material instead of slapping any material on.”

Habitable Spaces now has a common house, which is used as a kitchen and dining hall, four living spaces, including the Heinemeyer’s’ own living spot, an outdoor bathroom and shower and an outdoor kitchen.

They are currently working on an outdoor pizza oven and a green roof, Alison said.

Additionally, a 2,400 square foot pavilion is in the works that will serve as classroom space, Alison said.

“Now that we’re finally building this big shop we can have all sorts of stuff in there. We can have an art show and lots of classroom space,” Shane said. “The common house, which works as the dining hall, is the only classroom space we have indoors for now for lectures and dinners.”

In the new space, Habitable Spaces plans to offer painting and sculpture classes, as well as courses for canning and how to process an animal such as a rabbit.

Immersing into the community When the Heinemeyer’s first moved onto the property to start Habitable Spaces they weren’t too sure how the community was going to take to their project.

“We didn’t know what to think, but the community has been amazingly supportive. It’s interesting moving down here from New York because I think the biggest challenge for us was meeting people. Shane joined the (Kingsbury Volunteer) Fire Department and that helped out. I’m actually a city commissioner so that really opens up a lot of stuff because we’ve met families and lot of the people that are involved in Kingsbury.”

Alison said living in Kingsbury is different than an urban space because there are so many acres of land between everyone.

“This project (Habitable Spaces) gives people the opportunity to get together and meet each other at our events,” she said. “A lot of people have said they are happy that we’re here because when we give lectures and do events where people get to meet their neighbors in the community that they never knew.”

One of those events is the annual Fall Harvest Festival, which started in 2011 on the Habitable Spaces property and became an official Kingsbury city festi48 SEGUIN ~ AUTHENTIC TEXAS LIVING

val in 2015.

“We used to do it here back in the early days, but it just got too big,” Alison said. “We just had our sixth one this past fall. We moved it to downtown Kingsbury because they asked us too. We get a bunch of vendors in with all kind of arts and crafts, pickles and teas. There is live music, a petting zoo and the veterans put together a hay dive so the kids can jump in and search for coins.”

During the festival, Habitable Spaces sets up The Trading Post, which allows community members to trade goods for handmade art pieces.

“We bring all kinds of pickles, rabbit hides from our farm and everything is available for trade,” Alison said. “This year it was amazing. Every year, The Trading Post has grown and this year we had so many things to trade. One woman made this framed pressed flower piece that was gorgeous. It only lasted for five minutes. The Trading Post is a way to encourage people to be creative and think outside the box.”

This year’s Fall Festival is slated for Nov. 3, Shane said.

Futhermore, Habitable Spaces hosts the annual Summer Solstice Film Festival, where artists share their short films.

The Farm When starting Habitable Spaces not only did the Heinemeyer’s want to incorporate art into their project, but they also wanted to bring in the farming aspect of the rural community around them.

“It was definitely a learning process.

I’ve always had a garden … I did a few garden projects in New York,” Alison said. “I worked on a project called the Water Pod where we had a sustainable farm there and grew vegetables. But you know, Texas is a totally different story because it actually has two seasons, but they’re shorter seasons so you have to be on top of the growing aspect. You’ve got to get the plants in exactly on time or insects attack them or it gets too hot or cold. That was a big learning curve.”

Alison said the stewardship of the land was something she never thought

of before moving to Kingsbury.

“Working with the land and the animals is amazing,” she said. “It’s very rewarding.”

Habitable Spaces currently raises ducks, rabbits, chickens and goats. They also have several gardens.

“Really the food feeds our volunteers and artists in our community right now,” Alison said. “We’re trying to expand that right now probably with the ducks and rabbits, but I think what we’re going to end up using the farm more for classes and for sale, of course. We want to teach people how to process a rabbit from beginning to end, including how to tan a rabbit hide. We want to bring people back to the basics in terms of thinking, this isn’t just meat you go buy in a grocery store. This is an animal that’s been processed. Also, craft things with it like tanning hides. Rabbit hides were something we had to try to figure out how to do. Rabbit hides are great resources, I mean they’re beautiful. Also, with ducks, you can stuff pillows with it. There’s a lot of interesting things that our ancestors knew how to do, but we’ve kind of lost touch with.”

Alison said they’re interested in using the farm as a learning tool.

While the farm isn’t fully sustainable, it is at about 80 percent, she said.

“We don’t buy meat, but there’s a lot of things we still buy,” Alison said.

“Once we get the goats producing milk I think it would make a difference. We do canning especially in the summer. We preserve the harvest. We dry freeze and can things. It’ll probably be a few more years till we are fully sustainable.”

One thing that Alison and Shane are improving on the farming side is refining of all the animal housing.

“We have rabbits in more of a traditional hutch structure, but we’re building another structure for them,” Alison said.

“After a lot of brainstorming-because it gets too hot in the summer-we came up with a design to help them live more comfortably.”

They designed and constructed a large mound of grass with tunnels going through it so the rabbits can hop on and borough in.

“We have little areas that they can sleep underneath in the soil. The idea is that it will keep them cooler in the summer plus they’ll get to graze,” Alison said.

The ducks already have a newly made pond to swim in.

“It’s also still in progress. Our friend David Larison dug it and now we’ve got ducks swimming around. We’re building a waterfall at the top and we’re filling it with bog plants to clean the water.”

Artists in Residence Since Habitable Spaces’ founding, Alison and Shane have always invited their artist friends to stay on the land.

However, in 2016 the couple finally decided to turn it into an official artist residency program.

“In May of each year we do our open call and send out applications,” Alison said. “We accept four to five artists every season, which is in the fall from October to December. They come out for three months and they create some kind of piece. When applying they have to propose a project that would work in this space and stay here. The project can be anything. I mean it can be a performing arts piece performed for the community.”

The project has to be functional or sharable with the community, she said.

“We really judge the application based on the project and how well the project will work,” Alison

said. “If they’re proposing building a be useful to others after I have left it. building or something I have to be able Today the kitchen has it’s life of it’s own to see that they know how to do that. it’s out of my control and that is exactly We notify everybody in June and people how I want it to be. For me, that is what come out in October and they have a makes an art project successful.” little livable space.”

The most recent artists to participate The artists are provided with a materi- in the program were Andrew and Sarah als stipend and room and board, Alison Wilson, of Florida and the creators of said.

Hand-in-Hand Creative.

“We’re hoping in the future to be able “We discovered Habitable Spaces by to get more funding to provide an artist doing an internet search of artist resistipend,” Alison said. dencies in Texas, after a phone call with The first artist in residency was Jesper a friend who had just moved to the Aabille, of Denmark, who stayed at Austin area,” Andrew said. “We were on Habitable Spaces in 2012 and 2013 the hunt for an experience that aligned through 2014. with our goals, both as artists and “I met Alison and Shane in New York nature lovers, and were ready to take a during a residency, supported by The leap outside of our comfort zone. The Danish Arts Council,” he said. “At that Habitable Spaces website shared with time they were starting up Habitual us an experience that we had yet to have, Spaces, and I thought it sounded super but something that has always had our interesting.” heartfelt interest — the experience of Aabille constructed the Country living on a farm, in a sustainable way. We Kitchen, a sculptural outdoor kitchen immediately reached out and applied.” that is used as a “performance space The couple stayed at Habitable Spaces to cook and prepare feral hog with from October through December of mesquite wood.”

2017, although they only planned on “When I build Country Kitchen being there until November, Sarah said.

Shane and Alison was still starting up “We grew deeply connected to the the space,” Aabille said. “Basically, they farm and the community, and found needed a space, where people could it incredibly hard to leave,” she said. meet and cook together. They always “While we were there, we lived in a yurt had friends over, they were into self-suf- and awoke with the sunrise every mornficiency, and very social minded people. ing to do our chosen chore of feeding So in that sense, Country Kitchen is the animals. It’s truly the best way we’ve kind of a portrait of Shane and Alison - ever started our days.” and at the same time it has an everyday For their contributing project, the functionality that supports and is based Wilson’s created the “Trading Good” on the spirit of Habitual Spaces.” mural on a shipping container, locally According to the Habitable Spaces referred to as the Conex, behind the website, “the kitchen is designed to Kingsbury Volunteer Fire Department, transform three unwanted ingredients 1066 FM 1104, Kingsbury.

“We arrived in Kingsbury with the in the Texas countryside: the Mesquite tree, the feral hog and the prickly pear goal of creating a mural that was of, and cactus. All of these things are considfor, the community,” Andrew said. “We ered nuisances by the people who live in didn’t have an image, wall, or even much this area, and all are amazing ingredients familiarity of the life within a rural Texas town in mind when we drove in a meal.”

Aabille said he enjoyed being a part of the 12 hours from Florida to Texas. We Habitable Spaces. simply traveled with acknowledgment “It’s very different to living here in of our gifts, our goals and our skills to Denmark,” he said. “(It’s) fascinating paint a mural. We very much wanted both the experience on the farm and the to start up an art project and see how it develops over time. I like making art connection with the people of Kingsthat can merge in to everyday life, and bury to dictate the work we created.”

AUTHENTIC TEXAS LIVING ~ SEGUIN 49

Though the Conex’s surface was a challenge to paint on, Andrew said it was the perfect wall to use because everyone in Kingsbury is familiar with it.

Additionally Sarah said it was important for the message behind the “Trading Good” mural to be inspired by the community.

“We were immediately inspired by the practice of barter and trade and sharing goods. We saw this happening at the farm, and in the community,” Sarah said.

“This concept really helped drive the message and meaning of our piece. The mason jar is an iconic symbol of goods, while figs are more than a tangible good themselves, they are symbolic of prosperity and much more. Ultimately our completed mural, which we titled ‘Trading Good’ represents far more than the tangible sharing of goods from the land.

We used the words across the bottom of the shipping container to really allow the close-up viewer to dive deeper and explore the meaning.”

Across the bottom of the mural is a poem: “Backyard barter and homegrown trade. The human act of giving and take.

From my hands to yours, sharing good from the heart, not just of the land.

Reach out. Welcome in. Pass it on. An 50 SEGUIN ~ AUTHENTIC TEXAS LIVING

offering of support. The good “We became immediately connected fruit is abundant, as much as with the neighbors and friends of the you give it. The human story is farm,” she said. “We then became more right here, so long as you live it. involved in the community when we Like a fig tree budding with pros- started planning for the mural and perity, here in Kingsbury, the attending Kingsbury Volunteer Fire people make the place.”

Department meetings. The Fall Harvest Sarah said Andrew and herself Festival in November and the old Kingsbelieve they were brought bury Aerodrome’s Fall Fly-In were both together to create art, using words powerful local events that brought the and visuals like “Trading Good.” community together and allowed us to “We believe this truly allows a meet more people and share what we viewer to connect to art in more were doing in Kingsbury.” than one way, and on multiple Furthermore, Sarah said the people of Kingsbury, as well as the volunteers and levels,” she said. “Though I’m other artists, made an impact on their a writer and Andrew is a painter, hearts and lives. for us, creating murals is a collab“We’ve made lifelong friends, and we oration from start to finish. The process is reflective of our marriage. look forward to returning,” she said.

Alison said the artists who have particThere is give and take. We’re a team. ipated in the program have loved every We create together. We figure it out together.” minute of it.

Andrew added that being a part of “It’s actually really heartwarming because a lot of the artists who come Habitable Spaces was an experience of through here really get attached to the a lifetime.

Kingsbury community, to the farm, and “The momentum to cultivate all types to all the animals on the farm,” she said. of connection with the surrounding community was truly inspiring. Not only “I mean we’ve heard from two different artists, one who lives in California and were we met with the passion of Shane and Alison of Habitable Spaces, we saw one who lives in New York and they’ve both gone through major withdraw a lot of truth behind the start-up of a when they left. One of the artists got a community-based, art-infused, sustaindog and she had never had a dog before, able farm and nonprofit.” he said. “It doesn’t all come together overnight, and but she missed being around the animals.

That makes me happy, I mean I don’t it surely takes a driving force and camalike to see artists sad, but it makes me raderie to build something from the feel good that the response has been so ground up. We learned that’s how truly positive.” visionary works, like what Habitable Spaces facilitates are, achieved. ImmersShane said they use an email list, Glasstire, a Texas-based art publication ing ourselves in the livelihood of the to get the word out about the program. farm was educational on many levels.

“We haven’t been on the big ones yet And we became better people for it.”

The couple connected with the and that’s kind of by design because we want to ease our way into it,” Shane said. outdoors on a schedule that they’ve “But I think this year we may put it on never had before, Andrew said.

ResArtis, Knifa and a lot more bigger “We worked with others on objectives we could never have imagined we’d be ones. We’ll be getting more international a part of,” he said. “We left Habitable interest through there I think.”

For more information, call 917-613Spaces not only completely satisfied 6016 or visit www.habitablespaces.org or with the time we were able to have, but also inspired to pursue the ways we want www.facebook.com/HabitableSpaces. to live and create without hesitation.”

For more information on Hand in Additionally, Sarah said the commuHand Creative, visit www.handinhandnity of Kingsbury welcomed them with creative.org or follow them on Instaopen arms. gram @handinhandcreative.

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