CHAPTER 7: Heartbreak in the Hill Country: A Memoriam and Love Letter to Texas

Slideshow images photographed by and courtesy of Hans Bauer, Ingram, Texas.

A  Little Slice of Texas Heaven

The Texas Hill Country has been an important part of my life as far back as I can remember. Situated geographcally deep in the heart of Texas.  And in many ways the Hill Country is THE Heart of Texas, represented in it's friendliness, hospitality and charm,  much of what makes Texas great. It's not the bustling metropolis' of Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio, or  even Austin, though it sits on the edge of the Hill Country.  It's the small towns and their inhabitants that truly exhibit the shine in the star of the Lone Star State..

Towns with names like Dripping Springs, San Saba, Marble Falls, and Bandera. And then are there are others that non-Texans inevitably mispronounce such as Boerne (pronounced BER-NEE), Gruene (pronounced GREEN), ad Burnet ("It's Burnet, durn it, learn it!"). Home to beautiful lakes and gorgeous rivers, perfect for swimming and cooling off on a blistering hot Texas summer day.  Communities that all have a restaurant the locals go to catch up on town news, while enjoying good comfort food like chicken fried steak with cream gravy, and these restaurants probably have a wde selection of of mouthwatering homemade pies like grandma used to make, topped off with some Blue Bell Ice Cream, fresh from that little creamery in Brenham, Texas. And then there's the world class Tex-Mex, and hundreds of barbecue joints that serve up BBQ that puts other states to shame. You haven't lived until you've sunk your teeth into the Holy Grail of BBQ, Texas brisket so tender it melts in your mouth.  Oh yeah, Dr. Pepper (the official soft drink of Texas)was founded in tiny Dublin, Texas. Buc-ees, Whataburger, George Strait? Texas.

Folks in these communities say "Yes, sir" and "yes ma'am" as I sign of respect, and men remove their hats when in the presence of a lady. They are as patriotic as anyone anywhere. And the only thing they love more than our country is Texas.  I wished Americans loved Ametrica as Texans love Texas. Down here our political leanings are largely Conservative and most folks regularly attend church.  That extreme Texas pride can sometimes seem obnoxious to outsiders, but please don't take it that way. We're just proud of being a Texan. Some of that is rooted in that Texas is the only state that was it's own country! Truth be told, there are some of us around here who wish were one again, espescailly  given the current mostly irrational craziness politically going on right now.  Guess what?  We could probably do it considering Texas has the 8th ranked economy in the world. And Lord knows we have enough guns down here with people who know how to use them to protect ourselves. Yes, we surpass countries like Canada, Italy and even Russia!  Not to mention the fact the state is HUGE!  You know what they say, "Everything's bigger in Texas!". And face it, if you're from Texas you instantly become a novelty when traveling out-of-state.  Telling people you're from Texas peaks people's interest way more than saying "Hello, I'm from Delaware"! 

A Childhood Dream

My love affair with the Hill Country started early. Though I spent most of my growing up years in Southeast Houston less than an hour from Galveston and the Gulf of America. in 1962 when I was three years old, my folks bought a samll cabin at the base of Spider Mountain a stones throw from Lake Buchanan.  Summers and other times of year when my Dad had time off from work, our family would spend what can only be described for me as an idyllic slice of my childhood. Pure Hill Country Texicana and a wistful memory of a bygone era.

We had no TV and for a time not even phone, but we didn't miss it one bit. We had a radio and a record player, so I would bring my albums up with us from Houston making sure they were out of the sun in the car so they wouldn't warp or melt. We would swim, fish, take long walks, water ski, look for deer. We'd ocasionally run into town and go to the Tasty Treat and get a burger or the drug store for an ice cream soda. Then they're were also trips to the Burnet Drive-In Theatre where I saw more Elvis movies than I could count. Then at night all my brother and sisters and various cousins would sit out under a million stars. The older folks would be up on the deck and we kids would be out in the yard scaring each other with ghost stories. Once in awhile a musical family member, like my cousin Skipper, would break out a guitar and sing. It was pure heaven to a kid. We tried moving up there permanently and actually did live in the Burnet area for a couple of years. I attended school in Burnet 8th, 9th and most of 10th grade and my sister Sandia graduated from Burnet High School. But alas, my Dad couldn't make the money he made working in the chemical plant industry so we ultimately moved back to Houston.

When my wife D'Anna, younger son Kellen, (older son Marlin III was already in Texas living with my folks in Houston while he attended the University of Houston) and I moved back to Texas in 2009 from Lancaster, Wisconsin (another idyllic Norman Rockwell-esque small town where we spent 15 glorious years), we were determined to live in a small Texas Hill Country town. After brief stops in Taylor, Texas (just outside of Austin) and the Houston area, in January 2012 took a job operating a brand new radio station in Kerrville.

I began doing broadcast sales for the first time in my life (and became quite successful doing so), along with doing on-air stuff, ultimately leading me to REV FM and then The Hill Country Patriot where I became morning show sidekick to my dear friend Harley David Belew on the Harley Show.  I met tons of local people  in Kerrville and neighboring small communities Ingram and Hunt, all nestled along the Guadalupe River. I quickly established a lot of great friendships.  All that I've told you thus far in this blog chapter was to familiarize you with the area and it's people leading up to July 3 and the terrible flood in the early morning hours of July 4.

An Unexpected Nightmare

On Thursday, July 3 we were expecting a visit from our son Kellen for the Independence Day holiday. We were really excited because we hadn't seen him since Christmas because his job in Austin keeps him very busy. I was planning on grilling hot dogs the following day on our deck with the usual 4th of July trappings of beans. homemade coleslaw, wtaremelon and other melons, plus chocolate malts for dessert. The evening that he arrived D'Anna and I took him out to eat at the OST, an iconic restaurant on Main Street in Bandera, The Cowboy Capital of the World.

As we were driving home it began to train some. Rain had been forecast for several days so I wasn't surprised, but looked at the Weather Channel website and saw almost the entire area was under a Flash Flood Watch. This is not at all unusual in the Texas Hill Country, which actually has been dealing with years of drought throughout the entire region. So most locals take it with a grain of salt as those watches, more often than not, never transpire to much of anything, much less a flood of historic proportions.

After we had gone to bed that night, my cell phone started beeping at 1:14 AM with a Flash Flood Warning for all areas along the Guadalupe River. I looked at my phone and could hear the raining beating down outside, dismissed the warning, as we live 16 miles from Kerrville and no where near the Guadalupe, and went back to sleep.  The next morning I checked headlines on my phone, as I do every morning, and quickly realized that something horrible had happened overnight in Kerrville, Ingram, and especially Hunt.

Little by little that monring as I watched local news coverage word began tricklng in that what had occurred overnight was an almost incomprehensible catostrophe.  In 45 minutes a 26 foot wall pf water had risen , rolling down the length of the Guadaluupe from Hunt to Center Point engulfing everything in it's path. The enormity of this event was now sinking in.

In was an almost perfect unexpected storm for tragedy. A July 4th holiday weekend with droves of out-of-towners packing the camps and RV parks dotting the Guadalupe. There a bunch of youth camps along the river from Hunt to Kerrville mostly full with young campers for the weekend. A Flash Flood Warning goes out in the middle of the night when most folks are sleeping.  Cell service can sometimes be sketchy in this area especially around Hunt.  Even if people had cell service, they may have turned off their phones when they went to bed.  Furthermore those who may have previously experienced such warnings may have been slow to respond to this one, not knowing something devastating was headed their way..

The news of the magnitude of this disaster made me realize that the Guadalupe River had become an incomprehensible sea of excrutiating heartbreak. Dozens swept way in the river's torrent and now missing or were discovered deceased. Worst of all was the reality that dozens of precious little girls and their youthful counselors were victim's of the river's rage. The loss of human life was staggering. As if this writing, 135 people lost their lives in he Hill Country area. Of that number 116 perished in Kerr County, including 37 children, with over 60 still missing and presumed dead.

Despite what you may have heard via various news outlets, the response to this disaster was prompt and well coordinated on the Federal, State, and Local level. Over 2100 first responders from ten states and around the world answered the call for help, plus hundreds of volunteers. Many are still here two weeks later continuing the painstaking task of cleanup and the painful duty of searching for the missing and recovering their remains.

The Aftermath

Disasters such as what we have experienced in our area often bring out the very best and worst of humanity. I have plenty of both in the weeks after this tragedy.  The tireless and unselfish efforts of locals, volunteers and first responders has been truly inspiring. God bless each and everyone of them.  But then there have been  scores of Monday Mornnig Quarterbacks who know nothing of this area or the people who inhabit it, yet choose to make judgements and point fingers at who to blame for this tragedy happening. It's a sad commentary on the world these days when anyone  with a smart phone or laptop  can hide behind their screen like a coward , and pontificate as someone who knows all.

But here is the worst thing of all. President Trump and the First Lady came to Kerr County a week after the flood. Their visit was deeply appreciated by almost everyone in the area as they visited with State and local officials, first responders, and even some survivors of the flood.  This is Trump Country and the President is deeply admired by most of us in this area and across Texas. There is even a Trump Store in Bandera 15 minutes from where we live in the country.  That fact led many across the country to say online and via various social media outlets that somehow we deserved what we got for supporting the President. These people aren't sick, they are pure evil politicizing a huge tragedy because their irrational hatred for one man is greater than their common decency and compassion as a human being. These people need to rot and burn and hell, and will unless they get down on their knees and ask God for forgivenes, and anyone who is like-minded deserves to burn with them!

Where Was God and Moving Forward

Inevitably  after tragedies of any kind much one of this magnitude, beyond practical questions many may have as why and how this could happen, spiritual questions arise as to why and how to find comfort in an almost impossible situation.  I dont begin to know the ways of Providence. At times in my life when I was in emotional distress, I mentally shook my fist at God and thought "When my time comes I have a lot of questions I want answered, especially why our son Marlin III  had to pass so young?". But I have come to realize few things over the years. One is who am I to question the architect of all creation? How could I be so disrespectful to God to the point of almost blasphemy? As a Christian I am supposed to walk by faith not by sight. But in the most distressing times of our lives, our human frailty is laid bare in grief. 

But I have come to understand what the Bible says in Corinthians 13:12  (New Living Translation)  "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, then we shall see face to face. Now I shall know fully, even as I am fully known".  I interpret that as once I pass away from this earth and my spirit ascends to Heaven, I will  instantly know the answer to all the questions I might have had, as I will see things as God sees them.

Another thing I have learned is to never "Why me?" or so much painful "Why my child?"  I was taught  that lesson by Marlin III while he was valiantly battling cancer. Throughout that entire almost two-year grueling batlle, I never heard him once utter "Why me?'. Instead I now think "Why not me"".  Everyday around the world people experience unspeakable tragedies. While I grieve with those who experience great loss, especially parents who have to live through the most painful thing anyone can experience in this life, the loss of a child, I find comfort as a Christian in this promise from the Bible: Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called to His purpose".  Plus I find additional comfort in knowing as a Christian confessing Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, that I will be reunited someday not only with Marlin III but other loved ones as well.  And while the road to healing from such monumental personal loss is extremely difficult, I am living proof that you can, and IN many caseS by helping others heal and give them hope when they experience a major tragedy. That is what I am seeking to do with my life and with this autobiographical blog.

That faith I speak of is what will carry the folks in the Texas Hill Country through this ordeal. That and the continued unselfish efforts of volunteers, first responders, and especially the residents of our communities. I feel blessed that I didn't loseany friends or acquaintances as a result of the flood.  Most of those who perisished were out-of-towners. But I did have a few friends whose homes and businesses were virtually destroyed, including good friends Gary Broach, and Rosa and Kelly Toler, whose homes in Bumblebee Estates, located across the highway from the Guadalupe River, north of Ingram headed towards Hunt, were extremely damaged.

The Texas Hill Country was all over the news outlets the first week or so after the flood, but now most folks arpund the globe have moved on with their lives and the news cycle has now moved on to other stories. But here in the Hill Country the work and rebuilding is ongoing, and will continue for a long time. As of this writing their are still around 60 bodiesin Kerr County that have yet to be recovered. And the healing, in some cases will take years or decades and maybe even a lifetime for those who lost a loved one. I am sorry I have not been able to help in some way along the Guadalupe, but that is impossible due to my current chemo treatments.  I have more chemo treatment next week, but the following week I plan on making the short drive to Kerrville, Ingram, and Hunt to survey the damage and to pay my respects to and pray for those who perisished. For sure there will be plenty of meetings and investigations upcoming to establish a system to assure that a catastrophe of this nature never happens again.

But if there is one thing i know about about my fellow Texans is their strength, grit, compassion, pride in our state, and most of all their faith in the Almighty. We will rebuild and in fact grow stronger in our faith in America, our state, and most of all our faith in our fellow Texans and the Lord. That is what Texans do. The Hill Country is located deep in the Heart of Texas. And there are a lot of big, loving, compassionate hearts that reside here. That is our strength, that is our pride, and that  is our blessing in being Texans. May God always bless America and may he continue to always bless Texas. Amen.