Features

Dazzling color and light emanate from each of the winning photographs from Hill Country Alliance’s (HCA) annul photography contest. Soft ripples of lavender and tangerine clouds over a field of wildflowers; an egret perched on a bald cypress branch in the mango light of dawn; ethereal shades of blue in a wispy, flowing river; a golden sunset backdrop for a cruise on Lake Austin—these are the winning images captured by dedicated photographers, to be featured in the HCA’s 2016 calendar. The eagerly awaited annual calendar will be available for purchase on HCA’s website starting September 11.

In between between Wimberley and Dripping Springs, right before or after when RR 12 become four lanes, there’s an old pickup truck, vintage 1950’s or so along with a barn with the American flag on it. Sometimes there’s even a herd of longhorns roaming around the truck. This is the Lazy 8 ranch.

Owned by Edie and Joe Hill, the ranch was bought about 12 years ago. The 600 or so acres are the old Gillespie Ranch combined with the Storm Ranch. The name is for the eight children that were combined when the two were married. Joe was originally from the Fort Worth area and Edie is a local girl. 

Twenty-six years old.

It’s not an age most people associate with breast cancer, but that is the stark reality facing one of the brightest of Wimberley’s young women.

With auburn red hair, a beautiful smile and the extrovert personality that comes along with being raised by a family of musicians and performers, Annie Bond is ready to take on Hollywood. But that quest in the west is taking a detour now that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

The charismatic 26 year old is a true Wimberley spirit in the best sense of the idea.

Raised by longtime Wimberley musician Mike Bond and his wife Louie, whose claim to local fame goes far beyond her years as the Wimberley View editor, Annie grew up a Wimberley girl.

Kiss the Cook is offering a program to receive $20 off with a donation of an old pot or pan.  Through the Swiss Diamond/Goodwill offering the utensils will be distributed directly to Wimberley flood victims.

Bren Isgitt, owner of Kiss the Cook, is a Swiss Diamond retailer. She made arrangements with the manufacturer that any lightly used or new kitchen equipment that is donated will receive $20 off any purchases of new Swiss Diamond products worth over $80. 

Isgitt made arrangements with Swiss Diamond to have the donated items be donated to flood victims instead of Goodwill. Nationally Swiss Diamond has an agreement with Goodwill to receive the used items to help with training and placement services for their clients.

The Texas Flood of Love benefit concert was a rousing success. 

Hosted by Brookshire Brothers and local musicians like Ray Wylie Hubbard and Robyn Ludwick, the auction alone is expected to bring in at least $70,000.

“We are thrilled,” Ludwick, one of the original organizers and a performer in the concert, said. “We sold all of our auction stuff at really good prices. We had tons of guitars signed by superstars, and the place was packed.”

The benefit, which was held at Nutty Brown in Dripping Springs on Sunday, is still tallying up the final total of donations that will go to Barnabas Connection.

The concert had some of the top names in Texas with the likes of Hubbard, Jimmie Vaughan, Wade Bowen and Jason Boland among many more. 

Jimmy Voss has been THE chef at the restaurant Kate’s Place for about a year. He has turned out specialties such as his Crab Cakes, Lamb Tikka, or Chicken Marsala. He got a job at the restaurant Duff’s in St. Louis and worked his way up.

Voss learned his craft by checking out cookbooks from the St. Louis Public Library, eight or nine at a time instead of going to culinary school. He would try recipes out at home. He got to “the front line” and became head chef of Duff’s by default he said laughing.

But one of the most interesting things about Voss is his past. While working at Duff’s he met the manager of the Grateful Dead, Jon McIntyre. Voss was and is still a big fan, so it was kind of cool meeting him. 

Although less is heard about flood volunteers, they are still coming to help out Wimberley recover from the Memorial Weekend disaster. One group, here Monday July 27 through Wednesday July 29 was made up of eighty-five youths and six adults. The groups are a part of Bounce, a ministry of Texas Baptists that has middle school, high school and some college students spend a week in the Wimberley and San Marcos to help bounce back from flood damage by doing reconstructive work on home.

Here in Wimberley they have been working on River Road and Flite Acres properties, helping with the cleanup and prepare other damaged houses for more repairs. “Mobilizing students for long time recovery,” said Director David Scott.

Memories about the flood will recede like the Blanco River, but not as fast. That is why the Wimberley Village Library with a coalition of Wimberley folks are trying to gather stories to put into a book, with an eye on preserving history and the stories about the Memorial Weekend Flood in ’15.

Carroll Wilson, Circulation Manager of the library was the ramrod behind the effort, but with help from Nancy Williams and Steve Klepfer the proposed book will tell the stories as seen through the eyes of the community.

Helping families that need affordable housing, but for one reason or another have fallen on hard times, is what the Habitat for Humanity does. The organization was founded in 1976 and now operates worldwide to provide affordable housing to those that live in poverty.

When a person is in need, friends and neighbors pitch in and help. This fits in with what the “Wimberley Way” is all about.

Wimberley Valley Habitat for Humanity was formed in 1992. It is a locally run and an affiliate of Habitat International, a non-profit, ecumenical, Christian housing organization.

UPDATE: According to Texas Alerts, the Silver Alert for James Stowe Jr. has been canceled.

ORIGINAL STORY: A Silver Alert has been issued for Wimberley resident James Stowe Jr., who has been reported missing by the Hays County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities say that Stowe is 74 years old and has been diagnosed with cognitive impairment.   He was last seen driving a maroon 1994 Nissan Quest XE with Texas license plate number 8BCVJ.
Officials believe that Stowe's disappearance poses a threat to his own health and safety. 
If you have any information, contact the Hays County Sheriff's Office at (512) 393-7896.