People associated with the old neighborhood in the back alley behind 11th Street Cowboy Bar are moving on and leaving me behind with just a few others holding on to the memories of my early years stomping grounds.
Many scenes of that long ago time remain fresh in my mind today.
My Granddaddy Kindla's house was situated just about in the center of that block and I spent a good bit of my childhood there.
There were some older boys around like the Tucker and Jenschke brothers as well as Pat Boyle. Little Pat and James McGroarty were the ones my brother Eddie and I used to play with in the alley behind McGroarty's Store.
A million things have changed about that area adding sadness to some of my memories.
The passing of someone connected to that part of my young life always leaves a hidden scar. The latest loss suffered was my lifelong friend James McGroarty.
James was a world traveler who had returned to the place of his childhood adventures and built a business venue unlike anything else the neighborhood had ever experienced. He had a vision and he worked hard to make it come true.
Bandera is a better place because of his determination.
I kinda lost track of James during the years after our Bandera school days other than when he would breeze into town on a break from his worldly business ventures.
On those rare occasions it was always a rowdy welcome home or see you later type of encounter.
Here later in our lives we were able to return to a more regular version of our earlier friendship.
He was generous in his efforts to accommodate the many nonprofit benefit requests pertaining to the 11th Street Cowboy Bar. He did so for me personally on two occasions, and I am forever grateful.
They were both very successful adding funds for a much needed community project.
I hold fond memories of all my friends from back in the days of growing up in Bandera. A few are sad and some even tragic but I know his memory will always be special.
That smiling red face never changed from his time of being a kid running around the neighborhood in a diaper to the man who built a business where it all began for him.
RIP my friend!
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