THE END OF AN ERA

A lot has changed in this sleepy little town since we bought our house here almost ten years ago. At that time it was still "off the beaten track" -- not right off any major highways, so not terribly easy to get to. That's what we liked about it! But we weren't the only ones, and the more people came here, the more things began to change. We went from one stoplight to four or five. The name was officially changed from Village of Wimberley to just plain Wimberley. We finally went "wet" and our little grocery store doubled in size, in order to make room for wine and beer. Still, the people of Wimberley put up a good fight, managing to stave off the widening of RR12 between here and San Marcos, and trying to keep our businesses locally owned and operated.

Then sleepy little Wimberley showed up in a couple of retirement magazines, and droves of baby boomers from big cities, just like us, decided to move here. Unlike us, many of them just thought they wanted to live in the country. So they started building subdivisions with too many houses and golf courses, which depleted our water supply. Then they discovered that they missed their restaurants and grocery stores and coffee shops. Young families moved here too, and they wanted wider roads so they could commute to jobs in bigger cities. Which eventually brought us to this.

This is, or was, Bowen Elementary -- the first, and for a long time only, school in Wimberley. Many new ones were added over the years and it eventually became the administrative building. When they moved out, it was invaded by film crews shooting scenes for the TV series Revolution. Now it is being demolished, and I am feeling sad. Why? Because they are making room for a big, new HEB grocery store. I'm not saying I won't ever shop there. In fact, I'm sure I probably will. I too miss certain foods, and their prices are way lower than at our current store. Still, I really, really liked living in a village, and have a sneakin' suspicion that, if we continue on this path, we just might end up back in the burbs!