About ten years ago my wife Carrol & I got fed up with the curse of urban living. Traffic was getting so bad it took hours just to go a few miles. Long lines of impatient people, nasty graffiti, soaring crime rates, smoggy air, it just wasn't worth it anymore. We yearned for the quiet, peaceful small town life in the boondocks we remembered as children. So we sat down & designed our plan for deliverance, the great escape from Stress City to a fresh, happy lifestyle where living could be fun and rewarding.
Our new home had to be a small town in a rural area where people are as they seem. Where we didn't have to lock our doors. Where a handshake was your bond & churches outnumbered bars & saloons. Where we could be downtown in ten minutes & walk Main Street in twenty.
After two years of incessant searching we found it. We stopped in the little town of Fredericksburg smack dab in the middle of the beautiful hill country of Texas to visit an old friend. As we drove through to find our motel, I could tell by Carrol's eyes we were on to something. When we discovered there was no phone in our motel room, we both knew this was our kind of town.
The next morning our friend Lois cinched it by giving us the royal tour. Being a farm broker, she knew the area like the back of her hand. We saw everything. The peach orchards. White-tail deer feeding by the road side. The uncluttered neighborhoods of Texas-style houses. The shops and markets along an immaculate Main Street. We were so overjoyed with the town & delighted with the people, we made a commitment & moved to Fredericksburg two months later.
Our new hill country home, "The Boondocks", sits on three lush acres of trees, flowers, & critters. The family has grown and now includes six cats, three dogs, one chicken (Henrietta McNugget), a pot bellied pig, & a slew of fish in a fish pond I dug as part of my exercise program. Carrol's mama, Evelyn, accepted an invitation to join us to enjoy the good life in her twilight years.
The affection we have for Fredericksburg can be summed up by the fact we bought our three acres sight unseen. Lois called us one late afternoon & said she had found just the lot for us. But it was pitch black by the time we got there & all we could see was the frontage. Heavy brush prevented us from inspecting the property in the dark. We decided to make an offer to get things started & inspect the property the next morning. However, an hour later, Lois called & said the seller accepted the offer but needed a deposit that night to bind the deal. So we did it, sight unseen! If Lois said it was right for us, we knew it was. By daylight, we realized we had bought a superb parcel of ground heavy with oak & cedar & an unbelievable panorama view from the rear higher elevation. No perk test? Who needed one. Lois said it was OK. Water? Lois said it had good water & sure enough, we hit a vigorous well right where the dowser told us to drill.
Discovering the hill country & small town living has proven a blessing for Carrol & me. Escaping the rush of city life, we have found happiness where living is good for the soul. & a tranquil life style guaranteed to add years and quality to our life.
Sprinkled with small country towns, the hill country is covered with oak and cedar & a myriad of stunning wild flowers. Hundreds of lakes, rivers, streams & creeks wind their way through the hills & gullies, & the air is so clean you can't see it. & remember when drivers used to wave at each other as you passed? They still do on the back roads in the hill country.
Far from the freeways and plastic neon malls, hill country towns offer the tranquil life style craved by urbanites escaping city stress, a life style centered on family & traditional values with emphasis on church & school; small town newspapers devoted to student activities; & local events such as cake bakes & turkey dinners at the fairgrounds.
While there are thousands of towns in the United States suitable for boondocking, we think our area is special. That's why we invite you to come to the hill country of Texas & look us over if you yearn to find life the way it should be. Drink our pure water, breathe our clean air, & relish the magnificent beauty of nature's own. Visit neighbors & friends who care, where you are offered a hand instead of an elbow. You too might find a new way of life in the boondocks.
